A plane passenger terrifyingly fled the moving aircraft by breaking out the emergency door while it was taxiing on the runway.
Passengers and crew aboard Delta airlines flight 1714 bound for Seattle were baffled on Saturday when a passenger got up and furiously run along the cabin corridor as the plane was taking off from Los Angeles International Airport.
In a bizarre scene, the man reportedly ran from the back of the plane to the front and frantically told the flight attendant "what do I do now?"
The staff member ordered him to sit down, but before they approached him, he ran to one of the plane's emergency exit doors and opened it by turning the latch.
He then slid down the deployed emergency slide, landing on the back of a baggage cart, Fox News reported.
Luggage workers held him down until police arrived, and took him to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
The plane, a Boeing 737, returned to the gate and all other passengers were put on a new plane to take off.
A passenger praised the airline and crew members for their handling of the situation.
Gillian Sheldon, who was on the plane and witnessed the incident, said: "Delta was great. The flight attendants were amazing."
She added that the whole thing happened so fast that no one had any time to react.
"You always tell yourself, when you see these things on TV, that I would have done this or that, but honestly, it was so quick, there was no way to react," she said.
"Just glad it didn’t happen when we were midair, or it would have been a whole different outcome."
No injuries were reported during the incident.
In a statement, the FAA said: "Customers are being reaccommodated on a new aircraft and we apologize for the inconvenience and delay in their travel plans."
Footage shared on social media by one of the other passengers shows the man handcuffed on the tarmac as police hold him back.
In a statement following the incident, Delta airlines said: "Delta flight 1714 operating from Los Angeles to Seattle returned to the gate due to an unruly passenger.
"The aircraft was holding to taxi for takeoff when the passenger exited the aircraft and was initially detained by Delta staff ahead of being arrested by local law enforcement.
"Customers are being reaccommodated on a new aircraft and we apologize for the inconvenience and delay in their travel plans."
An investigation into the incident by the FAA is ongoing and the FBI was also notified about the incident.
Los Angeles Airport Police Captain Karla Rodriguez said: "Due to the circumstances, FBI has been notified. The aircraft was returned to a gate and passengers are in the process of being deplaned in order to be transported in another aircraft so that they can continue with their flight plans."
