‘Hostile’ traveler peed in corner during flight from Texas to California, feds say
A California resident faces a federal charge after he peed in the corner of an airplane and caused a disturbance during the flight, leading the pilot to divert the plane from its original destination, investigators say.
Samson Hardridge, 33, interfered with flight crew members and attendants during the Southwest flight from Dallas to Burbank on Feb. 18, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Hardridge’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
During the flight, Hardridge got up from his seat to use the bathroom, a criminal complaint filed Feb. 23 said. A flight attendant asked him to wait in the aisle of the plane instead of the galley because it was too small.
According to the complaint, Hardridge had his hands inside his pants, and he asked the flight attendant if they wanted to see his penis. Ignoring the attendant’s requests, Hardridge then began urinating in the corner of the plane near the galley door, the complaint says.
Investigators say in the complaint that Hardridge then became “hostile,” cursed at them and refused to clean up his urine. The attendants then asked the pilot to divert the plane to the closest airport because they “feared for their safety as well as that of the flight.”
The plane landed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the complaint said.
If convicted of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, Hardridge faces up to 20 years in prison.
This story was originally published February 24, 2022 at 4:21 PM with the headline "‘Hostile’ traveler peed in corner during flight from Texas to California, feds say."
