Hamilton

Swoop flight delayed when passenger charged with assaulting flight attendant

Police say the man was being removed from the flight for smoking on the tarmac.

Police say the man was being removed from the flight for smoking on the tarmac

Police say a man was charged with assault after an incident with a flight attendant on a Swoop flight from Hamilton to Halifax. (WestJet)

A Brampton man is facing assault charges after an incident involving smoking and a flight attendant on his Swoop flight from Hamilton to Halifax.

Hamilton police were called to the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport just before 9 p.m. Wednesday. 

Someone had spotted the 34-year-old man smoking on the tarmac, said Const. Lorraine Edwards. It's not clear if he was on the plane or near it.

But he ended up at the back of the plane, she said, where a flight attendant informed him that he had to leave the flight.

The man became "verbal," Edwards said, and shoved the flight attendant against a wall.

The flight was delayed, but ultimately went ahead, said Swoop spokesperson Karen McIsaac.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Craggs is journalist based in Windsor, Ont. She is executive producer of CBC Windsor and previously worked as a reporter and producer in Hamilton, specializing in politics and city hall. Follow her on Twitter at @SamCraggsCBC, or email her at samantha.craggs@cbc.ca