Southwest Flight Boarded by Cops with Guns Drawn, Video
Southwest Cops Burst Onto Plane After Flight Diverted, on Video
Published
Southwest passengers had to make a detour for a security-related issue ... which ended with cops rushing onto their plane guns blazing.
Video is circulating online that captured the moment that went down Friday ... after a flight leaving Nashville for Fort Lauderdale had to divert to Atlanta.
Check out the clip ... multiple officers outfitted in full tactical gear head down the narrow aisle way toward the back of the plane -- before wrenching a man out of his seat and slapping cuffs on him.
People on the plane -- unclear if it's passengers or crew members -- can be heard chanting "heads down, hands up" repeatedly ... a reminder to everyone on the plane to not make any sudden moves while the cops go about their business.
Worth noting ... several social media users are claiming the plane needed to make an emergency landing because bomb threats were made. We've checked with police, but we haven't been able to verify that allegation.
In a statement to TMZ, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson tells TMZ ... the plane landed safely at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to "respond to a possible security matter."
The company lauds its flight crew's response to the incident and apologizes to the passengers for the significant delay.
Southwest tells us customers were put on another aircraft, which continued on to Fort Lauderdale. They landed around 3:30 AM.
The FBI told us they did investigate a person allegedly connected to the incident ... however, “There was no credible threat and no charges will be filed.'
