Prosecutors: Man tried to open emergency exit’s door in attempt to spread vaccine views

A 32-year-old man was charged on Monday for allegedly trying to open an emergency exit of a Delta Air Lines flight while en route, in what prosecutors allege was an attempt to spread his views on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Michael Brandon Demarre was charged on Monday with threatening to interfere and interfering with a flight crew and attendants, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon announced on Monday.

Demarre allegedly pulled on the handle of an emergency exit on a flight Friday after removing the handle’s plastic covering, the department noted, citing court documents. Crew on the flight physically restrained him at the back of the plane after he was ordered by a flight attendant to stop touching the handle.

FBI agent Adam Hoover, in an affidavit, wrote that Demarre allegedly told officials he wanted a video to be recorded by passengers during the incident so that he would have “the opportunity to share his thoughts on COVID-19 vaccines,” The Oregonian reported.

Demarre’s attorney, Assistant Federal Public Defender Gerald Needham, signaled that the accusations against his client were unusual, the news outlet noted.

Earlier this month, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garland and proposed a “no fly” list for combative passengers. Airlines including Delta have dealt with an influx of unruly passengers who have refused to adhere to federal COVID-19 restrictions or become violent, among other things.

“While such cases represent a small fraction of overall flights, the rate of incidents with unruly passengers on Delta has increased nearly 100 percent since 2019. We fully support using the full force of the law in these cases,” Bastian wrote to Garland. 

The Hill has reached out to Demarre’s attorney and Delta for comment.