A half-dozen local soccer players whose allegedly disruptive behavior on a Southwest flight to Chicago forced the plane to make an unexpected stop in Texas are expected to return to San Diego County Friday — by car.
El Cajon residents Saiman Hermez, 19, Jonathan Khalid Petras, 20, Ghazwan Asaad Shaba, 21, Essa Solaqa, 20, Khalid Yohana, 19, and Wisam Imad Shaker, 23, were headed home after being charged in an Amarillo courtroom with interfering with a flight crew. They're expected to arrive in El Cajon sometime this morning, NBC7 reported.
The six San Diego Chaldean Soccer League players were allegedly arguing with a flight attendant who wouldn't serve them alcohol during the flight bound for Midway International in Chicago on Monday night when the incident escalated. A passenger heard the defendants call the flight attendant a racist and a pig and they argued with a passenger seated behind them, according to a criminal complaint.
The complaint also alleged the defendants were repeatedly standing up and becoming increasingly louder and attempted to incite other passengers to join their non-compliant behavior. Their aggressive behavior prompted a flight attendant, who said she was in fear for the safety of the crew and passengers, to ask the pilots to divert the aircraft.
Flight 1522 made an unscheduled landing at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport. Texas authorities were waiting to arrest the athletes when the plane landed.
The men were arrested on suspicion of interference of a flight crew, a federal crime, and were booked into Randall County Jail. The crime carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Hermez, Petras, Shaba, Solaqa, Yohana and Shaker have since been ordered to refrain from leaving the Southern District of California unless they are traveling to Amarillo for court appearances, avoid alcohol and stay off Southwest flights, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. They were released on bond Thursday.
