US: Breeze Airways flight diverted after passenger goes berserk, waves skateboard

A Breeze Airways flight bound for Los Angeles was diverted to Colorado after a passenger waving a skateboard got into an altercation with flight attendants and other passengers, breaking free from restraints twice, according to the airline and local authorities.

Breeze Airways Flight 704 departed Norfolk, Virginia, at 9:17 a.m. Wednesday and landed in Grand Junction, Colorado.

The Grand Junction Police Department said in a statement it responded to the airport around 11:15 a.m. local time after receiving a report that an “intoxicated male passenger became agitated, yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard. Airline staff placed the man in restraints twice, but he was able to break free both times.”

The airline said crew members reported a physical altercation that left one passenger and a flight attendant with minor injuries. Police, however, said no injuries were reported to law enforcement.

Once the plane landed, the passenger was taken into custody by Grand Junction police at the direction of the FBI and booked into the Mesa County Detention Facility.

The Federal Aviation Administration says airlines have reported over 1,000 incidents involving unruly passengers so far in 2025.

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