An airline passenger that had tried to open an emergency exit door during a flight, has claimed to investigators that he had been ill, might be schizophrenic and had been hearing voices for over four days, as reported by the Huffington Post.
The man, A.H., 23, has been charged with attempted destruction of an aircraft and faces up to a 20-year prison sentence if found guilty. He will be arraigned on June 26. He did not enter a plea during his first court appearance on May 28.
A.H., of Rio Rico, Ariz., caused the disturbance on Alaska Airlines Flight 132 from Anchorage bound for Portland on May 27.
He also told Port of Portland police officers that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but had failed to take his medication. His statements were included in the criminal complaint.
On May 26 A.H.'s father also told reporters that his son was bipolar and didn't take his medicine, confirming A.H.'s statement to investigators.
A.H. recalled getting onto the plane but claimed not to know anything about what had happened during the flight.
Other passengers, flight crew and the police filled in the gaps that A.H. couldn't call up from memory. It began when A.H. started up a seemingly innocent conversation with a female passenger, R.S., who was next to him in their row of seats.
However, the conversation escalated from a normal one to the bizarre. A.H. said that he had psychic abilities, and then asked R.S. what her astrological sign was. From there he made a inexplicable turn in the conversation and asked, "What if I came to your home and pounded your kids? What would you do if I open the exit door?"
As A.H. turned his attention on the emergency exit the plane had already begun its descent into the Portland International Airport.
He allegedly then spoke to a different passenger, J.S., saying, "Let's see how this plays out."
A.H. got up from his seat and proceeded to use his full body weight – records show that he weighs 220 pounds – to work at opening the door. J.S. punched A.H., forcing him to release his grasp on the door, and with the help of several other passengers, wrestled him to the ground.
They were able to tie him down using restraints. At this point A.H. allegedly began yelling, "Why are you doing this? Why are you trying to hurt me?"
In court Judge Janice Stewart ordered A.H. back to jail as he is considered a flight risk and a danger to the community. A.H. has no ties in Oregon and his father, who knew of no reason for A.H. to be in Oregon, only knew that his son had recently been hired in Anchorage.
Public defender Ruben Iniguez asked for a detention hearing for the first week of June and the judge agreed. Iniguez declined to comment to reporters about the case.
Whatever your reason for committing a crime, contact a criminal defense attorney to defend you in court. Issues of mental instability will be examined and used in a defense if appropriate.
