HOUSTON – A taser was discovered aboard a Southwest Airlines plane at Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport, prompting passengers to be removed and re screened before departure.
Southwest Airlines confirmed a “security incident” involving Flight 28 from Houston to Dallas Love Field on Tuesday.
A law enforcement source told KPRC 2 that an airline crewmember found the taser on the aircraft. The source said it was a civilian model and did not belong to a law enforcement officer.
After the discovery, the captain requested that all passengers be re screened, according to the source.
“Due to a potential security concern, the decision was made to re-screen the Passengers on Southwest Flight 28 from Houston to Dallas on Tuesday,” a spokesperson wrote to KPRC 2.
Passengers told KPRC 2 they were escorted off the plane and through the airport by Houston Airport System staff and law enforcement officers. All passengers were then screened again by the Transportation Security Administration before being allowed to re-board the aircraft.
The flight eventually departed for Dallas after a delay of about two and a half hours.
Passengers said the additional screening continued after they landed. They were checked again while boarding connecting flights at Dallas Love Field.
When scanning their boarding passes to enter the jet bridge, passengers said they were asked to show identification, and their carry-on bags were searched by law enforcement.
The incident is the latest in a series of airline security concerns in recent months.
In February, a Delta flight departing William P. Hobby Airport returned shortly after takeoff when a passenger became violent and attempted to move toward the cockpit, forcing other passengers to restrain him.
Southwest Airlines has also dealt with recent disturbances, including a flight diverted to Atlanta earlier this month because of a passenger related security concern over a “misunderstanding” involving a phone timer.
On another Southwest Airlines flight from Miami to Denver, a passenger was arrested after assaulting an off duty federal officer during a dispute midflight.
Meanwhile, airport operations have been strained by a Department of Homeland Security funding lapse that has left Transportation Security Administration officers working without pay. During parts of the busy spring break travel period, more than half of the TSA screeners scheduled at Hobby called out, creating security wait times that topped two hours.
The FAA declined to comment on the situation saying, “The FAA is a safety regulator, not a security agency.”
KPRC 2 asked Southwest Airlines for additional information, but an airline spokesperson declined, citing the airline does not further comment on security incidents and deferred to the TSA.
Messages to the TSA were not returned at the time of this report.