Niamh Shackleton
A Delta Airlines pilot was reportedly arrested shortly after landing in San Francisco.
Delta Flight 2809 took off from Minneapolis and landed in the Californian city on Saturday (July 26) as planned, but what happened next was far from ordinary.
Following the plane's safe arrival, federal agents are said to have stormed the aircraft and arrested the co-pilot, who isn't thought to have been named by police at the time of writing.
According to one passenger, as many as ten agents were on hand to arrest the man in question.
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A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Francisco told the San Francisco Chronicle that they'd assisted local officials in executing an arrest warrant.
They further described it as 'an ongoing local investigation with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office'.
Recalling the shocking moment, one passenger called Sarah said to ABC7: "[Agents] barged through and stormed the cockpit. They removed the co-pilot, cuffed him, presumably arrested him, and brought him back down the aisle to deplane."
"It was scary. It was traumatic to watch," Sarah went on. "As soon as my husband picked me up from baggage claim, I jumped in the car and cried. Because who knows what's happening to that poor person? Why that happened? What did we just see?"
According to Sarah, the other pilot and cabin crew 'appeared just as confused' as the passengers as the arrest took place.
Another traveler called Amy who spoke to FOX 9 said that all the agents she saw were armed.
"Not everybody had the same uniform on," she went on to share. "Some of them had a uniform that said HSI and some of the people didn't."
More details about the alleged crime have come to light since the pilot's arrest on Saturday.
As per court documents obtained by the Chronicle, the recently arrested pilot was booked into jail on suspicion of sexual penetration or oral copulation with a child aged 10 or younger.
The accused pilot is being held at the West County Detention Facility on $5 million bail.
Addressing the matter, a spokesperson for Delta Airlines said in a statement to UNILAD: "Delta has zero tolerance for unlawful conduct and will fully cooperate with law enforcement.
"We are appalled by reports of the charges related to the arrest and the individual in question has been suspended pending an investigation."
UNILAD has also approached HSI San Francisco and the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.