Two men are being hailed as heroes after they intervened and helped subdue an unruly passenger on a recent Delta Air Lines flight from Maine to Atlanta. During the flight, a passenger got up from his seat and started screaming and punching the lights and windows. James Tennell, who used to work as a corrections officer, heard the commotion and got out of his seat to offer his help.
"I could hear a lot of screaming in the back. One of the passengers was punching the [overhead seat] lights," Tennell told Fox 5. "Passengers were telling me he was wanting to take the plane down.”
When Tennell got to the back of the plane, the man had locked himself inside of the plane's bathroom. Tennell was joined by another man, who said he was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard. Tennell told the flight crew he had a background in law enforcement and they gave him a pair of handcuffs so he could detain the man.
Once they got the man out of the restroom, they wrestled him and he tried to bite them during the scuffle. They overcame him and brought him back to his seat, where they handcuffed him and tied him down with the seatbelt.
Tennell and the man who assisted both received a standing ovation from everybody on board the plane when they made it to Atlanta.
Law enforcement officials were waiting when the plane landed and took the passenger into custody.
Delta Air Lines issued a statement to Fox News thanking the two men for their assistance.
"Delta flight 1249 from Portland, Maine to Atlanta was met by law enforcement in Atlanta due to a customer disturbance on board. Delta appreciates the assistance from those customers who aided the crew and applauds the professionalism of our flight attendants for their efforts in deescalating the situation. The safety and security of our customers and crew are always Delta's top priority."