A California man is facing federal charges after peeing in the aisle while aboard a Southwest flight. Samson Hardridge, 33 from Lancaster, California, was flying from Dallas to Burbank. When he got up from his seat after takeoff to use the restroom, the flight attendant asked him to wait in the aisle of the plane instead of the galley because it was too small.
Hardridge had his hand in his pants and asked the flight attendant if she wanted to see his penis. When she said no and asked that he remain in the aisle, Hardridge peed on the floor in the corner of the plane.
Hardridge also became hostile, yelled, at, and threatened the flight attendants. The plane was diverted to Albuquerque because the flight crew “feared for their safety as well as that of the flight.”
Hardridge was charged with interfering with flight crew members and attendants and is facing up to 20 years if convicted.
There are many recent examples of unruly passengers aboard flights. Southwest recently banned a passenger who attacked a flight attendant, which resulted in serious injuries, including the loss of two teeth.
As of February 22 of this year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 607 cases of unruly passengers aboard flights.
“On February 18, Southwest Flight 474 diverted to Albuquerque due to an unruly customer,” a representative for Southwest Airlines said. “Local police met the aircraft once it was at the gate, removed the Customer and the flight continued to Burbank a short time later.”
