Passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul to San Francisco last Sunday witnessed a surreal scene: A group of armed police officers stormed the plane after landing to arrest a member of the airline’s flight crew. This was Rustom Bhagwagar, a 34-year-old man who (according to Fox News) has been accused of child sexual abuse.
But currently, this information is not always confirmed by local authorities.
Once the plane landed, ten armed officers wearing law enforcement badges invaded the cockpit to arrest and handcuff the co-pilot.
For the crew and passengers—especially those seated in business class, close to the cockpit—the event was somewhat shocking: they were surprised to see law enforcement officers board and enter the cockpit, without having been informed in advance of what was about to happen.
It is worth noting that this unusual incident comes on the heels of a similar incident that occurred a few days ago on a flight also operated by Delta Airlines: a pilot preparing to take off on a Delta plane from Amsterdam Airport, in the Netherlands, was arrested after failing a breathalyzer test.