A Delta Air Lines pilot was arrested by federal agents moments after landing a commercial flight in San Francisco on Saturday night, leaving passengers and crew stunned.
The arrest took place on board Delta Flight 2809, which had just arrived from Minneapolis around 9:35 pm. As the aircraft was preparing to deplane, approximately ten federal agents, including officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), boarded the aircraft and headed straight for the cockpit.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way upthrough the aisle to the cockpit,” said passenger Sarah Christianson, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The agents then “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane,” another passenger recounted.
Following the dramatic arrest, another team boarded the plane to retrieve the pilot’s bags, as per the New York Post.
Christianson described the incident as “shocking and unnerving.”
She added, “It was rage-inducing to see someone being disappeared right in front of me.”
The second pilot on board, according to Christianson, appeared just as confused by the situation as the passengers and told them he was unaware of what had transpired.
According to Fox News, the pilot was taken into custody on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
HSI, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security’s ICE division, has not confirmed further details, including whether the pilot's immigration status played any role, the New York Post reported.
While the circumstances of this particular arrest are still unclear, HSI has previously been involved in high-profile workplace raids across the US targeting undocumented immigrants, often at farms, factories, and construction sites.
The Saturday night incident, however, stands out for its timing, location, and the serious criminal nature of the charges involved.
The arrest took place on board Delta Flight 2809, which had just arrived from Minneapolis around 9:35 pm. As the aircraft was preparing to deplane, approximately ten federal agents, including officers from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), boarded the aircraft and headed straight for the cockpit.
“A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way upthrough the aisle to the cockpit,” said passenger Sarah Christianson, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The agents then “stormed the cockpit, cuffed the co-pilot, arrested him, walked him down the aisle, and ushered him off the plane,” another passenger recounted.
Following the dramatic arrest, another team boarded the plane to retrieve the pilot’s bags, as per the New York Post.
Christianson described the incident as “shocking and unnerving.”
She added, “It was rage-inducing to see someone being disappeared right in front of me.”
The second pilot on board, according to Christianson, appeared just as confused by the situation as the passengers and told them he was unaware of what had transpired.
According to Fox News, the pilot was taken into custody on charges related to child sexual abuse material.
HSI, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security’s ICE division, has not confirmed further details, including whether the pilot's immigration status played any role, the New York Post reported.
While the circumstances of this particular arrest are still unclear, HSI has previously been involved in high-profile workplace raids across the US targeting undocumented immigrants, often at farms, factories, and construction sites.
The Saturday night incident, however, stands out for its timing, location, and the serious criminal nature of the charges involved.
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