Los Angeles

Man Who Allegedly Tried to Break Into Cockpit of LA to Hawaii Flight Identified

Police said Anil Uskanil had been drinking but did not meet the criteria for public intoxication

A 25-year-old man was arrested Friday after he allegedly tried to break into the cockpit of an American Airlines plane from Los Angeles to Hawaii, officials said.

Officials identified the passenger as Anil Uskanil of Turkish ethnicity. He was escorted off American Airlines Flight 31, after it landed safely at 11:35 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time, according to a statement from the airline.

The series of events leading up to the arrest began at 2:45 a.m. at LAX, airport police said.

Los Angeles International Airport Police Division responded to a radio call of a passenger going through a door from the Terminal 5 concourse that led out onto the airfield ramp, according to a statement from LAX.

Uskanil, who was a ticketed passenger on an American Airlines flight, had gone through TSA screening and was immediately spotted by a contractor and detained, LAX Public Information Officer Frederick Badlissi said.

Airport police investigated and determined Uskanil had been drinking but did not meet the criteria for public intoxication. He was arrested for misdemeanor trespassing, cited, given a pending court date and released to board his flight to Honolulu.

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On the flight Uskanil had been loitering near the restroom, carrying a laptop, a government source told NBC News. Flight attendants asked him to return to his seat and he refused, the source said.

Uskanil then seemed to lunge toward the cockpit door, according to the source, and that's when several passengers subdued him.

"No one really paid much attention to it until we landed and the flight attendants would not let anyone get out of their seats," Jaren Yang, one of the passengers of the flight, told NBC News.

The flight, which originated from Los Angeles, was to arrive in Honolulu about noon. The flight departed from Los Angeles International Airport at 8:34 a.m. local time.

It was not immediately clear if Uskanil has an attorney.

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