Man Breaks Past Airport Security Checkpoint, Breaks Into Plane at Seattle Airport

Nov. 9, 2013 — -- A possibly intoxicated man allegedly bolted past terminal security, ran onto the tarmac and broke into an airplane at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The man, who has not been identified by police but has been described as in his late 20s, was at checkpoint 5 in concourse D at Sea-Tac airport Friday at approximately 8:30 p.m. when he sprinted past security agents.

As he was being chased, the man ran up some stairs into a jet bridge, and before officers could catch him, he climbed stairs to a door on the plane, but was unable to open the door because it was locked, Sea-Tac Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said. The man then punched through a window on the door and climbed through that window to board the aircraft, Cooper said.

An aircraft cleaner was on board the plane at the time, Cooper told ABC News.

The Port of Seattle police and TSA officers who had chased the man were able to apprehend him on the plane, he said.

"He had to be tackled to the ground," a spokesman told ABC News affiliate KOMO-TV, adding that the man suffered minor injuries.

Cooper told ABC News that it appears that drugs were involved.

American Airlines requested bomb sniffing dogs to do a sweep and a full inspection of the plane, according to a Sea-Tac spokesman. The aircraft was inspected and cleared, and there was no damage to the plane.

The man was booked into King County Jail on suspicion of trespassing and assault on a police officer, KOMO reported.

The plane, which was headed to Miami, took off 98 minutes late.