Sacramento

Woman Threatens to Kill Passengers on Southwest Airlines Flight From Portland to Sacramento

A Southwest Airlines flight from Portland to Sacramento on Saturday took a startling turn when an agitated woman started shouting that she was going to "kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

The frightful incident, which was captured on video, started after the 24-year-old woman, who has been identified as Valerie Curbelo, was found to have broken federal laws by tampering with a smoke detector and smoking in one of the plane's lavatories, according to Southwest Airlines.

Curbelo was later seen on video gathering her belongings before yelling at a flight attendant, saying, "I have a destination for this. I have a destination for myself, and I need to go there. I swear if you don't (expletive) land, I will (expletive) kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

The flight attendant then asked Curbelo to sit down, but she said, again, "I will kill everybody on this (expletive) plane."

Pilots declared an emergency in order to "receive priority handling from air traffic controllers," according to a statement from Southwest Airlines.

Curbelo had to be restrained while the plane made its descent, according to the Sacramento County sheriff's office. 

After the other passengers on the plane were allowed to exit, sheriff's deputies boarded and took Curbelo to a waiting patrol vehicle, according to the sheriff's department.

Public records indicate that Curbelo was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail. Her bail was set at $75,000, and she is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.

A total of 136 passengers and five crew members were on the flight, according to the airline.

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