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Passenger under medical evaluation after pulling plane's emergency exit at Bush Airport

HOUSTON – A United Airlines passenger is under medical evaluation after she pulled an airplane's overwing emergency exit and jumped out the ramp level of the plane Monday, police said.

The incident occurred about 1:15 p.m. at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.

Houston Police Department officials said the woman was transported to a neuro-psychiatric center for medical evaluation. Prosecutors decided to not accept charges against the woman or release her identity.

Police said when the plane arrived at the airport, a woman pulled the overwing emergency exit on the plane, got onto the plane's wing and then jumped to the ground.

"There was somebody behind us. They said, 'We got a runner.' So I didn't pay that much attention to it. I didn't know what they were talking about. And then my sister goes, 'Look at that woman running!'" a witness told KPRC 2 News.

The woman landed on the tarmac and ran away from the plane, toward the terminal.

KPRC 2 obtained surveillance video of the woman running on the tarmac.

She was eventually taken into custody. There is no information about why the woman pulled the emergency lever.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it is no longer involved in the investigation because it was determined it was not a national security matter.

"I’ve flown hundreds of thousands of miles. I used to live overseas. I have never, ever seen anything like this before. It was amazing," one witness said.

One passenger shot video of the aftermath.

 

We landed and waited for gate to open up as we were 30 min early. A lady opened emergency exit door which she was...

Posted by Cathy Cole on Monday, November 28, 2016

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About the Author
Brittany Taylor headshot

Award-winning journalist, mother, YouTuber, social media guru, millennial, mentor, storyteller, University of Houston alumna and Houston-native.

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