Story By: James King, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency: Newsflash
A plane crew’s appeal for police help to deal with a violent passenger was answered quicker than expected when they discovered a cop couple was already on board the transatlantic flight to Canada.
After stepping forward to intervene, they were able to quickly restrain the violent passenger, who had been making threats against crew members and other passengers.
And the pair kept the violent passenger immobilised until the plane landed in Vancouver as planned, where local cops were able to make a full arrest.
The incident happened while the cop couple was travelling on holiday to Canada from Vienna, which had proceeded as planned to Frankfurt in Germany before then continuing to Vancouver.
But two hours into the second leg of the flight, the violent passenger started making threats, and after consulting with the crew and pilot, the police pair waded in to immobilise the violent man and then keep him isolated from other passengers until it landed.
The holidaying couple was praised back home, with Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner from the Austrian People’s Party taking time out to say thank you and add: “I’m very proud of our two serving officers who were prepared to step in and showed bravery, intelligence and consideration.”
The two officers, who are both serving in the Lower Austria Police Department, used their police training to overwhelm and then secure the passenger, stressing that they coordinated with the authorities in Canada and Germany to ensure only the allowed force was used.
It is unclear what caused the man to go on the rampage, but there have been an increasing number of similar incidents in which passengers insult and threaten crew members and fellow passengers.
The Austrian EKO Cobra, which provides law enforcement officers for flight safety, praised the decision to immobilise and overpower the man in order to ensure the safety of flight.
There was no confirmation from the Interior Ministry as to whether the passenger’s actions were connected with a request to wear face masks, which has increasingly been causing problems on international flights.
