I want you to imagine, if you can, the worst airline passenger in the history of aviation. A man so annoying that flight attendants had to boil a pot of water in case they needed it to defend themselves from his antics. That man, according to federal authorities, is Lemar Sheron Rogers.
What did Rogers do, exactly? He's accused of refusing to stow his luggage, screaming expletives at flight attendants, demanding booze, swearing at other passengers, demanding to talk to the pilot, and throwing up gang signs with his hands that he said were "for Jesus."
The Oregonian reports that on Tuesday, Rogers was a passenger on a Southwest flight to Sacramento when he forced the plane to make an emergency landing in Portland where he was arrested.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S District court, Rogers barked at an attendant who told him to stow his bags and scared a woman and her kid into moving away from him. He then demanded three glasses of wine at once.
That's when things got weird.
"Get the (expletive) out of my face," he sneered. Then he said, "Jesus loves you," according to documents.
Soon, the suspect was swearing at passengers, flashing gang signs and demanding to speak with the pilot, the documents say.
A flight attendant became so frightened that she asked another passenger to help her restrain Rogers if he became violent, according to court records. Another attendant boiled a pot of water to use against the suspect if he tried to approach the flight deck, the records show.
Emphasis mine because holy shit, I can't believe it came to that. After being arrested at Portland International Airport, Rogers continued rambling about Jesus and said that's who he was flashing gang signs for.
Also, he admitted to smoking "purple hash" before the flight, which helps explain a lot.
Worst passenger ever? Worst passenger ever.
Photo credit Multnomah County Sheriff's Office/Getty Images
Hat tip to Muffin!
'Gang Signs For Jesus' Passenger Forced Emergency Plane Landing