Southwest Airlines flight to SFO turns back to LAX after fight

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ByMatt Keller KGO logo
Monday, October 19, 2015
Southwest Airlines flight to SFO turns back to LAX after fight
A Southwest Airlines flight landed at SFO five hours late after an incident on board forced the pilot to return to the gate at LAX.

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KGO) -- A Southwest Airlines flight landed at San Francisco International Airport five hours late after an incident on board forced the pilot to return to the gate at Los Angeles International Airport.

Southwest flight 2010 returned to LAX after the pilot declared an emergency. According to a passenger on the flight, who posted on Instagram, "a man strangled a woman because she tilted her seat back."

The plane was only in the air for 13 minutes. Law enforcement met the plane at the gate and took one person from the flight. The other passengers and crew switched planes and took off for SFO about two hours later, landing at 1:43 a.m.

The man removed from the plane was detained and questioned by the FBI. He was eventually released. The FBI says they still have to question some more passengers before deciding if charges will be filed.

The remaining 136 passengers of the plane switched planes but arrived at the San Francisco International Airport five hours after their scheduled arrival, spokesperson Dan Landis said.

The flight resumed at 12:21 a.m. and arrived at SFO at 1:48 a.m., according to the SFO website.

Bay City News contributed to this report.