Portland Man Tried To Open Plane Door, Wanted COVID Views Heard

PORTLAND, OR — Earlier this month, Delta Airlines chief executive Edward Bastian wrote to the Department of Justice asking them to establish a "no fly" list of people who had been disruptive on flights. The request came as Delta and other airlines say that they've been seeing an increase in incidents aboard planes with unruly passengers.

Bastian wrote that "while such cases represent a small fraction of overall flights, the rate of incidents with unruly passengers on Delta has increased nearly 100 percent since 2019.

"We fully support using the full force of the law in these cases."

A Portland man now in custody would probably end up on that list if Delta had a say.

Thirty-one-year-old Michael Demarre is currently being held so that doctors can perform a mental health evaluation. He'll be back in court on Friday.

"This was a very dangerous offense that endangered the lives and safety of the people on that plane," a prosecutor told the judge at the hearing.

According to officials an court documents, Demarre was on a Delta flight to Portland from Salt Lake City when he was seen walking up to one of the emergency doors.

Witnesses told the FBI and Port of Portland Police that Demarre removed covering from the handle and started pulling with all of his weight. People started reacting and a flight attendant immediately told Demarre to let go of the handle and move away.

Demarre was restrained in a seat toward the back. Flight attendants asked passengers to keep an eye on him.

Back on the ground, officials say that Demarre said that he tried to open the door so that other passengers could record him as he shared his views on COVID-19

Several passengers told police that Demarre seemed to be having a mental health break of some sort. His lawyer echoed that sentiment to the judge.