Plane passenger tells traveler ‘his laptop is a bomb' sparking mid-air chaos on packed jet
Taj Taylor, 27, sparked panic when he allegedly made the chilling threat less than an hour into the Allegiant Air flight.
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Taj Taylor, 27, allegedly told passengers on board a packed Allegiant Air flight his laptop was a bomb
Credit: Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
5
Taylor on board the Airbus 320 before being arrested
Credit: WDBJ
The Airbus 320 plane had left St. Pete-Clearwater airport in Florida and was supposed to head to Roanoke in Virginia on Sunday.
Taylor, who was sitting on the back row of the plane, allegedly told a passenger that his laptop was an explosive, as per a
It prompted the traveler to snatch the device off Taylor.
Six people on board the packed aircraft, which was carrying 177 passengers and six crew members, reportedly heard him make the threat.
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Passengers on board the plane said they tried to keep their kids calm.
'My girls were looking at me, and one was crying pretty hard,' Tara Kamprath told the ABC affiliate
Kamprath revealed her other child had eyes as big as dinner planes.
The plane returned to St-Pete Clearwater airport 40 minutes into the flight.
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Cops met the plane as it landed on the tarmac and arrested Taylor.
Police also searched his possessions and they didn't find a bomb.
Taylor was quizzed and claimed he had experienced a 'lack of clarity,' according to a FBI report seen by
He strongly denied making any threats that he was carrying an explosive.
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Taylor appeared in court on Monday on charges of false information and threats.
He could be hit with a fine of up to $25,000 as well as a five-year prison sentence.
Allegiant Air has spoken out about what unfolded on the plane.
'My girls were looking at me, and one was crying pretty hard
Tara Kamprath
passenger
'Allegiant does not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind, so the decision was made to return to the airport,' a spokesperson told
USA
Today.
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Passengers were deplaned before getting on a later flight.
The plane heading to Virginia left Florida five hours later than planned.
But, Allegiant has offered impacted travelers a $100 voucher.
It comes just weeks after a packed
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Travelers shared footage on social media that showed heavily-armed cops on board the aircraft.
One man was arrested, as reported by the Fox affiliate
5
More than 170 people were on board the passenger jet
Credit: WDBJ
5
Taylor being led away by cops
Credit: WDBJ
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The flight diverted back to Florida less than an hour into its journey
Credit: Flight Radar
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