ROANOKE, Va. — One man is in police custody after a bomb threat was made on an Allegiant Airlines flight leaving for Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport in Clearwater, Florida on Sunday, July 6
Allegiant officials say the incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. when a passenger onboard became disruptive while the plane was en route towards Roanoke.
According to WTSP, Pinellas County officials say two passengers were in a verbal argument, with one passenger claiming to have a bomb, resulting in the plane to return back to St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport.
Officials say the passenger was taken into custody, all other passengers were asked to deboard the plane.
“Unfortunately, the crew are reaching their FAA-mandated time limits, so we must re-crew the flight,” an Allegiant spokesperson said. “Once that is done, the flight will continue to its destination. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers.”
The identity of the suspect was not released publicly. Authorities say no injuries were reported on the flight.