Man breaks free from zip-ties, hurls racial slurs at flight attendant, feds say
An “unruly” passenger was zip-tied by a Breeze Airways flight attendant after he was accused of racially harassing the woman, then physically assaulting her and a fellow traveler, according to court filings.
David Leroy Carver Jr., 47, of Los Angeles, ultimately broke free from the zip ties and caused the Los-Angeles bound plane to get diverted to Colorado on Aug. 13, federal prosecutors said. The flight had taken off from Norfolk, Virginia.
Now a criminal complaint charges Carver with interference with flight crew members and attendants, a federal offense, court records show.
A federal public defender representing him did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment Aug. 18.
After the Breeze Airways flight’s diversion to Grand Junction Regional Airport, officers with the city’s police department boarded the plane and arrested Carver, according to an affidavit. Grand Junction is in western Colorado and is about a 245-mile drive southwest from Denver.
They found him “standing in the aisle of the plane with luggage and a skateboard in his hands,” reads the affidavit written by an FBI special agent.
“It appeared Carver was intoxicated at the time,” the FBI agent noted, adding that Carver was served six mixed alcoholic drinks on the flight.
According to the agent, Carver caused a disturbance on the plane when he called a flight attendant racial slurs and directed “multiple overt inappropriate sexual comments” toward her. The flight attendant was Black.
Carver then threatened to hit another passenger who told him to stop, prosecutors said.
In response, Carver threw chewing tobacco, which had been in his mouth, at the passenger’s face, according to prosecutors.
Afterward, the affidavit says a different passenger got involved, “grabbed Carver and sat him down into Carver’s (seat).”
When the flight attendant, who Carver had been verbally harassing, tried securing him with restraints, Carver lunged at her, injuring her hand, which was later photographed with a cut on it, according to the filing.
The flight attendant then restrained him with zip ties, the affidavit says.
But Carver got out of the restraints, took off his belt “and wrapped it around his knuckles in a threatening manner before flight attendants were able to separate him from the belt,” prosecutors said.
Once his belt was taken away, Carver was said to have sat down in his seat until the plane landed, according to the affidavit.
Carver had his initial federal court appearance in Grand Junction on Aug. 14, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Breeze Airways did not immediately return McClatchy News’ request for comment.
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Man breaks free from zip-ties, hurls racial slurs at flight attendant, feds say."
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