PORTLAND, Ore. – Passengers aboard Continental Flight 1118 from Portland to Houston say the plane had just lifted-off when a passenger became unruly.
"We were taking off, and the plane was still at an incline, and the flight attendant rushed back to the economy class. I looked back and there were all kinds of disturbances," passenger Nancy Haywood said.
Haywood was sitting at the front of the plane when she said she witnessed several men holding down a passenger, while a flight attendant placed plastic hand-cuffs on him.
According to passengers, he was smoking an E-cigarette, when the flight attendant asked him to put it out.
"He would not extinguish his cigarette, and became belligerent, and said he would not, that’s when the action started," Haywood said.
The plane turned back, landed in Portland, and Port of Portland officers took the man into custody for questioning. Passengers were asked to give statements.
"The police came onboard and arrested him, and he was looking at everybody and talking and chatting, and thought he was very funny," Haywood said.
The case has now been turned over to the FBI, according to Steve Johnson with the Port of Portland.
E-cigarettes are not on the TSA’s list of banned items, but Continental says smoking of any kind is not permitted, which includes the steam emitted from e-cigarettes.
It is unclear what charges the passenger, who has not been identified, could face.
"I just don’t know why he thought he could get away with it," Haywood said.
