Michael Brandon Demarre Wiki

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Who is Michael Brandon Demarre ?

A Portland man allegedly tried to open the emergency door of a Delta Air Lines flight because he wanted people to film him sharing his thoughts on the Covid-19 vaccine, federal authorities said.

A flight attendant told him to stop touching the handle and to move to the rear of the plane, where he was held down until the plane landed.

Federal authorities wrote in the affidavit that Demarre said he tried to open the door “so other passengers could film him, giving him an opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines.”

Arrested and Charged

Michael Brandon Demarre, 32, was arrested and charged with threatening to interfere and interfering with crew and flight attendants, according to a news release from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.

An affidavit alleges that Demarre tried to open an emergency exit on Flight 1580 from Salt Lake City to Portland on Friday. Witnesses told Port of Portland Police Department officers that Demarre allegedly removed a plastic cover over the emergency exit handle and “pulled on the handle with his full body weight,” the affidavit says.

A flight attendant told him to stop touching the handle and to move to the rear of the plane, where he was held down until the plane landed.

Federal authorities wrote in the affidavit that Demarre said he tried to open the door “so other passengers could film him, giving him an opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines.”

Demarre appeared in court on Monday and was ordered detained pending further proceedings. His attorney could not be immediately reached Wednesday.

Incident

Delta said it has “zero tolerance for unruly customers and will continue to take steps to bolster the safety of our people and customers.”

There have been several recent reports of passengers causing disturbances on flights. On February 3, Delta CEO Ed Bastian sent a letter to US Attorney General Merrick Garland requesting that individuals convicted of these crimes be added to a national no-fly list “that would prohibit that person travel on any commercial airline.

“This action will help prevent future incidents and serve as a strong symbol of the consequences of not following the instructions of crew members on commercial aircraft,” he wrote.

Bastian said that since 2019, the number of incidents involving unruly passengers has increased by nearly 100 percent.