An anti-vaxxer from Portland tried to open the emergency door of a Delta Airlines flight in order to be filmed so that he could share Covid-19 vaccine misinformation.
Michael Brandon Demarre, 32, is facing charges of threatening to interfere and interfering with a flight crew and attendants, according to the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Oregon.
It was during a flight between Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon on 11 February that Mr Demarre allegedly tried to open the plane’s emergency door mid-flight, a criminal complaint said.
Witnesses said Mr Demarre removed the plastic cover over the emergence exit door handle and “pulled on the handle with his full body weight”, Insider reported.
Mr Demarre stopped when a crew member ordered him to. He was then taken to the back of the plane and physically restrained. The crew asked four passengers to watch Mr Demarre and stop him from going back to the door.
“The response to Demarre’s actions interrupted the regular performance of the flight attendants’ duties and he required attention until the flight landed in Portland,” the legal filing said.
Authorities said there were no signs that Mr Demarre had been drinking or was influenced by drugs. He was detained by Portland law enforcement after the plane landed. He told the authorities that he had been trying to open the door in order for other passengers to film him so that he could share his opinions on the Covid-19 vaccines, the affidavit said.
“We’re all being lied to, wake up!” Mr Demarre said, according to the Register-Guard. “The Earth is bleeding, the international community hates the United States of America.”
Mr Demarre made a court appearance on Monday, after which he was detained ahead of additional legal proceedings, according to the US Attorney’s office.
The Independent has reached out to Mr Demarre’s lawyer for comment.
Delta told Insider that the airline has “zero tolerance for unruly customers” and that they will “take action to reinforce the safety of our people and customers”.
The incident on Friday occurred a week after Delta CEO Ed Bastian requested that the federal government put in place a no-fly list for unruly passengers, the prevalence of which has increased in recent months.
So far, Delta has put around 1,900 people on its internal no-fly list for disregarding masking rules on planes. The company has also asked that the Transportation Security Administration seek civil penalties against those banned by the airline.
