Suspect arrested for making bomb threat onboard plane leaving Charlotte Douglas airport

CHARLOTTE — UPDATE: According to court documents filed on Feb. 20, the charges were dropped due to “insufficient evidence.”

New court records say the person involved was referring to a houseboat that had exploded from a gas incident in Minnesota.

Earlier

A suspect was arrested Tuesday afternoon after making a bomb threat onboard American Airlines Flight 2185, which was taking off from the Charlotte Douglas International Airport bound for Miami.

At about 3 p.m., law enforcement responded to the aircraft, which was still on a taxiway.

Passenger Zach Cogswell said he thought the plane stopped because of a mechanical issue.

“Everybody was like, “Woah,’” he told Channel 9. “I wouldn’t say a huge gasp, but you could hear murmurs going on.”

He said about a half-dozen emergency vehicles showed up along with a stair truck.

“Law enforcement come on, put a guy in handcuffs,” Cogswell said. “The plane was completely calm, no commotion.”

The passenger told someone there was a bomb on the flight before takeoff, according to court documents.

The passenger was removed from the plane and CMPD’s Bomb Unit swept the aircraft.

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“They come on the intercom and ask for five rows to come to the back to the plane and they brought on the dog,” Cogswell said.

The threat was considered a non-credible security alert, which had minimal impacts on its operations, officials said.

The passenger was charged with making a false bomb threat. He is being held in the Mecklenburg County jail under a $75,000 bond.

The flight was delayed for about 90 minutes.

“It gave me faith in the safety and security that the airlines and law enforcement put toward making sure when you fly,” Cogswell said. “You’re absolutely safe when you fly.”

Statement from American Airlines:

“American Airlines flight 2185, with service from Charlotte (CLT) to Miami (MIA), was met by law enforcement before departing CLT due to a report of a possible security threat on board. The aircraft was inspected and cleared by authorities and will depart CLT shortly. Safety and security is our top priority. We thank our team members for their professionalism and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience.”

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story identified the suspect who was arrested. His name has been removed since the charges were dropped.

VIDEO: American Airlines flight lands safely after emergency call