Passengers on a Delta flight were stunned Saturday night when federal agents boarded the plane and arrested the co-pilot just moments after landing at San Francisco International Airport.
Delta Flight 2809 had just arrived from Minneapolis around 9:35 p.m. on July 26 when roughly 10 federal agents some from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) stormed the aircraft before anyone could disembark. According to eyewitnesses, the agents went straight to the cockpit, handcuffed the co-pilot, and escorted him off the plane.
Passenger Sarah Christianson, speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, described a chaotic scene: “A group of people with badges, guns, and different agency vests/markings were pushing their way up through the aisle to the cockpit.”
After removing the pilot, another team returned to retrieve his bags.
The rest of the flight crew appeared blindsided by the incident. According to Christianson, the remaining pilot told passengers he was just as confused about what had happened.
The exact reason for the arrest hasn’t been made public. HSI, a division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has not commented on the co-pilot’s identity or charges. While HSI is known for immigration-related operations, officials haven’t confirmed if this arrest was tied to immigration status or a different federal investigation.
Christianson called the experience “shocking and unnerving,” adding, “It was rage-inducing to see someone being disappeared right in front of me.”
Delta has yet to issue a statement on the incident.
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