A Hawaiian Airlines passenger's possible bomb threat against a plane as it was preparing to take off triggered a heavy law enforcement response on the San Diego International Airport's tarmac Tuesday at around 8:46, according to the airline and Harbor Police officials.
Hawaiian Airlines says HA Flight 15 was headed to Honolulu from San Diego.
"During pushback from the gate, a guest was overheard making a threat to the safety of our aircraft," the spokesperson said. The captain then called Harbor Police dispatch. "As a precaution, the captain immediately taxied the Airbus A330 to a safe location on the airfield, where it was met with local and federal law enforcement and guests were safely deplaned."
Port of San Diego Harbor Police’s Maritime Tactical (MARTAC, also known as SWAT) team, K-9 Team, Joint Terrorism Task Force, the San Diego Fire Department, and the FBI all responded to the scene to search the aircraft and its contents, according to Harbor Police.
A spokesperson for the airline said there were 283 passengers and 10 crew members on board the plane. All 293 people onboard were evacuated from the aircraft and transported by bus to a safe area, according to Harbor Police.
Photo reporting partner 10News)