Was Killed Air Rage Passenger Provoked?

S A L T   L A K E   C I T Y, Sept. 29 -- A 19-year-old Las Vegas man who flew into a rage during a Southwest Airlines flight to Salt Lake City and died after being subdued by passengers was partially provoked by the flight crew, some passengers told police.

The Salt Lake City Airport police incident report, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, said when police boarded the airplane Aug. 11, they found Jonathan Burton unconscious in the center aisle, one passenger’s foot placed on his neck, another on his head and two more on his arms.

He was unconscious and bleeding from the mouth with a “huge knot” and “discoloration” on his forehead, the report said. Police handcuffed him and two officers carried him off the plane, hitting Burton’s head as they placed him on the ground.

The report said Burton became combative about 20 minutes before the flight was scheduled to land, hitting some of the 120 passengers aboard the 737 and pounding a hole in the locked cockpit door.

“Several passengers stated that the flight crew antagonized the young man and that intensified his anger,” the report said. Names of the passengers police interviewed were removed from the copy of the report.

Needless Provocation?

One passenger contacted Thursday agreed that flight attendants may have provoked the man after his initial outburst.

Anne Crawford, 41, of Barstow, Calif., said that after Burton attacked the cockpit door, passengers succeeded in getting him back to his seat and calming him. Then the flight attendant loudly announced another passenger, an off-duty police officer, would take care of the situation, Crawford recalled.

“She was standing next to me when she was making the announcement and I was just cringing in my seat because they had pretty much calmed him down,” said Crawford, who was seated two rows behind Burton.

Burton punched the officer in the face, Crawford said.

“He was calm, he seemed like he was going to relax, but then he went into this fit again,” she said. “I was just wondering how much training Southwest gives to help deal with these situations.”