> No bond granted for man accused of making bomb threat on Allegiant flight
No bond granted for man accused of making bomb threat on Allegiant flight
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Description
Police say a man is in custody after making a bomb threat while aboard an Allegiant Air flight leaving from St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport on Sunday afternoon.
Allegiant officials said the incident happened shortly after 2 p.m. when a passenger onboard became disruptive while the plane was en route to Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport in Virginia.
The passenger was later identified by authorities as 27-year-old Taj Taylor.
Authorities said the investigation revealed that Taylor had reportedly told another passenger that his laptop was a bomb. The passenger immediately flagged the flight attendants.
Investigators said several other witnesses on the plane reported hearing Taylor say he had a bomb.
"Allegiant does not tolerate disruptive behavior of any kind," an Allegiant spokesperson said.
Allegiant Flight 1023 returned to PIE, where law enforcement took the passenger into custody. All other passengers were asked to deplane.
"Unfortunately, the crew are reaching their FAA-mandated time limits, so we must re-crew the flight," the spokesperson said. "Once that is done, the flight will continue to its destination. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused our passengers."
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office K-9s searched Taylor's belongings, and no bomb was located, officials said.
There were no reported injuries.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) is leading the investigation.