Drunk Brit, 39, charged after ‘trying to kick windows out’ of Virgin Atlantic flight & causes mum to drop baby
A DRUNK Brit has been charged after trying to kick the windows out on a Virgin Atlantic flight during a mid-air meltdown - causing a woman to drop her baby.
William Stephen Hayes, 39, forced the frantic crew on the flight from Heathrow to LA to divert the aircraft to Salt Lake City on Tuesday.
He was last night charged in Salt Lake City for interference with a flight crew and assault by striking, beating and wounding.
The unplanned stop happened at around 4.30pm local time after the rowdy flyer went berserk, witnesses told The Sun.
Yet Hayes, who was travelling with his female partner and one-year-old son, still did not stop his mid-air rampage when he was subdued by crew members and other passengers, according to the criminal complaint filed to the court.
He is said to have kicked off with flight attendants at least three times at different points of the journey and assaulted another male passenger sat in front of him.
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But Hayes' alleged drink-fuelled outburst continued to escalate after being handcuffed - and he tried to kick out the windows of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
One witness even told The Sun that the boozed-up passenger only stopped when US Marines travelling on the flight "piled on him".
The commotion caused a mum on the plane to drop her baby - leaving the child with minor injuries, it was claimed.
The crew decided to land and Hayes was hauled off the plane by Salt Lake City Police Department officers and US Customs officers.
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A criminal complaint signed by an FBI agent and filed with the court stated: “Witness statements reported that throughout the flight Hayes was loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and to crew members.
“Flight attendants opened a restraint kit as a precaution.
“At one point during the flight, Hayes assaulted a male passenger seated in front of him, grabbing the passenger’s shirt, attempting to hit him, and grabbing his throat.
“This action left visible marks on the assaulted passenger’s neck. Hayes also spat on and attempted to bite this passenger.
“Hayes was restrained by the passenger with the assistance of another passenger and crew members, and was placed in handcuffs.
“While restrained, Hayes continued to fight and be abusive, and attempted to kick the windows of the aircraft."
There were a couple of US Marines who piled in on him. He was sitting in the back and he got handcuffed right there.
Passenger
An eyewitness also told The Sun: "There was an altercation involving the man about an hour into the flight. He was a British guy.
"It took a good while to get him to sit back down and resolve it.
"Then a few hours later it happened again and I thought to myself ‘This may not end well’.
"Later he had fallen asleep but woke up ready to go again and that’s when he started getting physical.
"There were a couple of US Marines who piled in on him.
"He was sitting in the back and he got handcuffed right there."
The source said the boisterous bloke then started "whining" that he could not feel his fingers after he was restrained by officers.
They added: "They worked for some time to subdue him before they decided to land.
"It was intense for a while and I was upset because it was the third time."
The passenger and his family exited the aircraft in Salt Lake City before the plane continued on to Los Angeles.
Emergency crews surrounded the plane on the southwest de-icing pad at the airport before the aircraft took off again three hours later at around 7.30pm.
The formal charges were filed by the US Attorney today.
A US law enforcement source told The Sun: "A passenger on board became unruly and fought several passengers while attempting to move towards the cockpit.
"During the fight, a mum dropped her baby causing injury.
"They eventually got him under control and handcuffed the guy and diverted to Salt Lake City for police to enter the plane and take him into custody."
Passengers on the flight said the atmosphere was already tense before take-off due to the chaos at Heathrow.
One described travellers as "agitated" after being stuck in huge queues at the major airport.
HOLIDAY FROM HELL
They explained: "Before we even left Heathrow I was in a two-hour bag drop line and a two-hour security line.
"I was there for five hours and barely made my flight. People were not happy, people were very agitated.
"I've never been on a flight like that, there were so many screaming kids and irritated parents.
"The flight attendants seemed edgy from the beginning, I think right now the whole industry is not right. Heathrow was at limit numbers."
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "Due to a disruptive passenger onboard flight VS141 operating from London Heathrow to Los Angeles on Tuesday 26 July, the aircraft diverted to Salt Lake City to be met by police authorities.
"The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our top priority and we don’t tolerate any behaviour that compromises this.
"We always want our customers to have the best experience when they fly with us and our cabin crew are highly trained to deal with any individuals that may impact that experience for others.
"The flight continued to Los Angeles arriving just before 20:00 local time with an arrival delay of approximately four hours.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused to customers onboard."
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Salt Lake City Police told KUTV: "At approximately 4:30pm, Airport Division Police were called to respond to a Virgin Atlantic flight that was diverted into SLC due to an unruly passenger onboard a Virgin Atlantic flight who had been physically detained by other passengers and flight crew members."
The Sun have contacted the UK Foreign Office for comment.
