Colorado Rockies player helps restrain unruly pax on flight

[article]

DENVER -- LaTroy Hawkins had no idea that opportunity was going to drop into his lap. This particular brand of opportunity occurred on an international flight to Chile in October for some dove hunting and relaxation. It landed, rudely, on his tray table.

"That was some kind of weird," Hawkins said. "I was sitting in business class and watching TV with my noise-canceling headphones on. I couldn't hear it, but a guy got into it with a flight attendant, and he landed in my lap and knocked over the food I had in front of me."

"The flight attendant said, 'I need your help.'"

Hawkins, a 41-year-old right-handed reliever, signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with a 2015 option in November to pitch for the Rockies as the primary closer. As a closer of any experience knows, there are run-of-the-mill saves you earn for pitching the ninth inning with a three-run lead, and there are tough saves -- say, a one-run lead on the road with the meat of the order scheduled.

But aboard American Airlines Flight 945 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Santiago, Chile, Hawkins was faced with an unusual save opportunity.

Hawkins said the unruly passenger was unhappy with his seat, and that unhappiness escalated while the flight was in the air. The flight attendant was lucky to have Hawkins, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound professional athlete, on board. Hawkins also had a couple of his friends, Rodney Carter and Leonard Whittenberg, nearby to assist. They held down the passenger as restraints were applied, then returned to their seats.

But the passenger, however, freed himself and began to cause trouble again. Hawkins and friends restrained him again, and this time they kept a close eye on the passenger until the plane made an unscheduled landing in Lima, Peru. The passenger made more trouble for himself as Hawkins helped escort him from the plane at roughly 4 a.m. local time.

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I'm glad they kicked the guy off the flight, but they should've done it without landing.

 

Strange for a pax to be unruly after having been confronted once, specially in the Business Class. Oh Well !

 

I don't think it's all that strange. Sickening, yes, but not strange. Some of these DYKWIA idiots can't take no for an answer.

 

True ! I come from an era, where you dressed up properly to take a flight, and everyone was polite !

 

Even BC is becoming like the Greyhound in the rural US - or the buses in under-developed areas of Mexico. BC is becoming "no class at all."