FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Colombian national being deported back to his home country destroyed an airplane bathroom before his Bogota-bound flight left Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Tuesday, deputies said.
Authorities said they arrested Eduardo Jose Restrepo Caballero, 27, of Barranquilla, after the Spirit Airlines flight returned to the gate.
Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies said U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials had escorted Restrepo Caballero on the morning flight as part of his administrative deportation.
A BSO arrest report states that as the plane was taxiing, he entered the rear lavatory and “began destroying the wall panels.”
Deputies said he also “(threw) large amounts of paper into the toilet” and “spilled or poured an unknown liquid on the floor” before a flight attendant confronted him and ordered him back to his seat.
Authorities said other passengers were removed from the flight after it returned to the gate while a maintenance crew examined the damage, estimated at around $10,000.
Restrepo Caballero is facing charges of felony criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.
As of Wednesday, he was being held in the BSO Main Jail with a $2,650 bond and an immigration hold.
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