IDAHO FALLS – A Colorado man faces multiple charges after police say he interfered with the emergency exit door of an airplane and tried to assault numerous officers.
Anthony Joseph Alarcon, 35, of Pueblo, Colorado, is charged with felony stealing from/interfering with/destruction of an aircraft, misdemeanor assault, and misdemeanor resisting or obstructing officers.
On Sept. 28, an Idaho Falls Police officer was contacted by airline crews at Idaho Falls Regional Airport about the “theft of a carabiner clip from the emergency exit door of an aircraft that flew from Denver to Idaho Falls,” according to court documents.
Flight crew members and a passenger on the plane pointed out the suspect, later identified as Alarcon, to the officer.
The officer asked Alarcon if he had the carabiner clip, which he initially denied. Eventually, he gave it to the officer.
Police reports say the flight was delayed for nearly two hours due to the carabiner being stolen.
Alarcon was being picked up from the airport by his supervisor, so the officer met with both men and asked them to wait while another officer was on his way to bring the necessary paperwork to document the incident.
While waiting in the lobby, Alarcon reportedly became “aggressive and irritated,” asking, “What was taking so long?”
The officer responded that he was waiting for another officer to bring him the needed paperwork. Alarcon reportedly “got upset and aggressively stepped toward (the officer) with his fists clenched.”
The officer writes in the report that Alarcon’s “eyes were tense and squinted.”
Court documents say the officer was forced to move out of the way to avoid Alarcon touching him and tried to detain him.
Alarcon refused to comply, so the officer deployed pepper spray and got him in handcuffs. The officer then took Alarcon outside to flush his eyes with water.
While continuing to wait for more officers, Alarcon reportedly became aggressive again, trying to pull away from the officer while allegedly yelling, “Are you that scared of me?”
The officer tried to push Alarcon against a wall but was unable to until two other officers arrived.
Alarcon “struck his nose on the wall” and was forced to the ground and detained.
Police reports say officers flushed Alarcon’s eyes and wiped his face several times while waiting for EMS to arrive. When they arrived, Alarcon was allegedly also aggressive and uncooperative with the medical team.
Alarcon was taken to an emergency room for a jail clearance and then booked into the Bonneville County Jail on a $50,000 bond.
He is expected to appear for a District Court arraignment on Oct. 21. If convicted, he could face up to 24 years in prison and $12,000 in fines.
Though Alarcon has been charged with these crimes, it does not necessarily mean he committed them. Everyone is presumed innocent until they are proven guilty.
