Police arrested a man who was asked to leave a Southwest Airlines flight trying to take off from Orlando International Airport last week after witnesses said he tried to get other passengers to take off their face masks.
Chad Breaux, 43, or River Ridge, Louisiana was arrested by officers with the Orlando Police Department responding to a call about a disturbance ahead of Flight 2419 to New Orleans at around 3 p.m. Thursday.
Crew members said Breaux was acting strange and began yelling at other passengers saying at one point, “If you were a man, you would not be wearing a mask,” according to the OPD arrest report.
Breaux was reportedly not complying with the airline’s face mask requirement of wearing it at all times during the flight including during boarding and disembarking the plane.
The arrest report said that as “officers were voluntarily escorting the arrestee off the flight he became irate and aggressive” toward the officers.
The report stated one officer had to shove Breaux back with an open hand because they felt Breaux was going to strike. After getting off the plan, Breaux “continued to yell profanities towards these officers and the passengers who were standing by,” the report said, once again announcing, “If you are a man or woman, you would not wear a mask.”
The report said Breaux become more angry and aggressive and poked an officer in their right shoulder, and then approached another officer who said they felt threatened.
Breaux was then placed under arrest and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, assault on an LEO and disorderly conduct. . Bond was set at $2,750.
©2022 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
