Unruly passenger indicted

Man faces federal charges for alleged gun threats

Posted: Thursday, April 05, 2007

A federal grand jury has indicted a man who allegedly caused an interference with flight attendants last month.

James Joseph Egan was arrested March 12 after reportedly threatening passengers and crew that he had a gun in his carry-on luggage - a threat that led pilots to land in Amarillo that day.

Egan faces federal charges after an altercation last month on an aircraft during a Southwest Airlines flight from Pittsburgh to Phoenix that was scheduled to continue to San Diego.

On Wednesday, a federal grand jury indicted Egan on one count of assault on an aircraft and one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants, according to court documents. The defendant also was ordered to surrender himself to U.S. Marshals. A previous order had allowed him to be released on $20,000 unsecured bonds. That order was vacated Wednesday.

According to an FBI agent's affidavit filed with the complaint, Egan was returning to San Diego after attending his mother's funeral. He consumed alcohol both before and during the flight, the affidavit says.

Egan became belligerent and the flight attendant stopped serving him, the document said. According to the affidavit, Egan declared he had a "pass" to act belligerently because he just buried his mother.

Egan "spoke in a loud manner and made comments that he would physically assault other passengers and crew, and that he had a gun in his carry-on luggage," the affidavit said. The flight attendant advised the pilot to divert the plane to Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, where Egan was removed from the plane by airport police.

During an interview with authorities, Egan was "visibly intoxicated" and had red, bloodshot eyes, loud speech and alcohol on his breath, the affidavit said. Egan said he had consumed 12 beers and admitted he was loud and disruptive, the document said.

In the interview, he said he was "calling the bluff" of the flight attendant, the affidavit said.