Man Forcibly Removed From Plane While ‘Sobbing Like a Toddler’ After Denied Preflight Gin and Tonic

A TikTok video captures the moment a man is forcibly removed from a plane over an allegedly denied preflight gin and tonic and the refusal to leave after “not being respectful” to staff. (Photos: Banditeh/TikTok)

An anonymous man has been forcibly removed from an American Airlines plane and handcuffed after reportedly being denied a preflight gin and tonic and erupting into a tear-filled meltdown when he refused to leave the plane.

A majority of the chaotic event was captured on camera and posted online by TikTok user Banditeh. The video was then shared to Reddit on r/PublicFreakout, where it quickly garnered almost 40,000 upvotes as people remarked on the childlike nature of the man’s behavior.

Prior to his turbulent departure from the aircraft, the first-class passenger was allegedly informed multiple times by both the pilot and staff to leave the plane for “not being respectful” by “arguing with the flight attendant” over the denial of his preflight beverage, reported The New York Post. However, according to View From the Wing, the ability to order a drink before the plane takes off is a key service element of American Airlines domestic first class — making the reasoning behind the man not being served a gin and tonic unclear.

Yet his reaction to cocktail denial was evidently very clear as police needed to board the plane to get him to leave. Following a few minutes of arguing, which resulted in the man’s phone and bags being taken, things got quickly physical as two officers pull him from his seat.

The man is then seen scrambling towards the front of the plane while calling out “stop” and “I’m fine” as police follow behind him, grabbing at him. He can then be heard sobbing loudly off-screen before the video cuts to him against a wall and getting handcuffed on the floor.

Commenting on the incident, one Reddit user wrote: “Seriously. I have no idea why these people always try to keep arguing when police show up. You’re not going to be able to sway them or talk your way out of it.”

“You can either walk off or get dragged off after wasting the rest of the passengers’ time.”

Another wrote, “He even pulled out the ‘sobbing like a toddler’ move,” while a third person alleged that there was a “good chance he was drunk” since the whole incident “started over a gin and tonic.”

Certainly, not the first time booze and unruly behavior on a plane have intersected, a similar incident took place in March when a man allegedly drank a liter of vodka and caused “two hours of chaos” on board an Easyjet flight.

Additionally, in January, two men were arrested after reportedly drinking from a bottle of gin and behaving in a “truly despicable” way on a TUI Airways flight.

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