Delta pilot arrested in front of shocked passengers on flight from Minneapolis to San Francisco after landing into SFO
Around 10 agents, some from Homeland Security, boarded the plane after it landed at San Francisco airport on Saturday.
The plane had taken off from Minneapolis airport earlier in the day, as reported by the ABC affiliate KGO-TV.
Travelers were preparing to disembark when they saw the commotion at the front of the plane.
'We were all shocked and stunned. What was happening?' one passenger, known as Sarah, said.
Sarah documented what unfolded on board the aircraft.
"They barged through and stormed the cockpit," she said.
"They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him."
Sarah said the co-pilot was then flanked by officers, walked down the aisle, and taken off the plane.
She recalled how the cabin crew seemed bewildered by what was going on.
"I looked at him [the pilot] and I said 'What's going on?'" one told the Fox affiliate KMSP-TV.
The traveler said passengers were standing up on the plane, a Boeing 757-300, getting ready to grab their bags from the overhead lockers.
Another passenger told The San Francisco Chronicle that some of the agents who stormed onto the plane were carrying guns.
The traveler said the agents had badges and vests with letters on them.
Once the co-pilot was taken off the plane, some agents then re-boarded the aircraft to collect his belongings.
A Boeing 757-300 twin-engine jet can carry up to 295 passengers and can travel at a maximum speed of 571 mph.
The plane's arrival into San Francisco was delayed due to heavy fog.
More than 50 million people passed through San Francisco airport last year.
In 2023, the airport was named the 13th busiest airport in the US.
"This is an ongoing local investigation with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office," a Homeland Security spokesperson told The Chronicle.
Delta officials are yet to issue a statement.
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