HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – A Florida man was arrested earlier this week after “acting erratically” on board a flight at the Tampa International Airport, according to the police department.
Police said that on March 19, the man — Shail Patel, 29, a self-employed IT worker living in Tampa — boarded his flight at the airport before yelling and cursing at other passengers.
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“(Expletive) you blue-eyed White devils — I’m gonna take this plane down with all you mother (expletive) on it,” he said, according to investigators.
According to the Anti-Defamation League, the term “blue-eyed devil” is a racial slur from Asia that is typically used against people of European ancestry.
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Patel became aggressive, slapping another man on the plane and spitting on him, a criminal affidavit shows.
In the affidavit, police explained that Patel was slurring his words, had “blood-shot eyes,” and smelled strongly of alcohol.
Eventually, Patel was “detained” by other passengers on the plane’s bridge before he was handcuffed and placed under arrest, police added.
Patel faces charges of disorderly intoxication and two counts of battery. He is held on bond of $2,150.
News 6 has requested body-camera footage of the incident from the police department and is awaiting a response.
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