A British holidaymaker was arrested at César Manrique Airport last night (Monday) after assaulting several Guardia Civil agents attempting to remove her from a British Airways flight to London Gatwick. The incident occurred around 9:45pm during the boarding process.
The captain of the flight requested police presence to deal with "some troublesome female passengers" who were intoxicated and displaying "a defiant and aggressive attitude," according to the official police report.
Upon arrival, the Guardia Civil officers identified the two disruptive passengers and instructed them to leave the plane. One of them complied reluctantly, leaving whilst "pushing and protesting" past other passengers. However, the second passenger refused, insisting she had paid for her flight and was not getting off the plane.
To manage the situation, the crew evacuated the first ten rows of the plane, as the disruptive passengers were seated in row nine. The passenger who initially refused to leave became violent, seizing the opportunity to grab an officer's arm and bite him on the right forearm.
The police report details that a struggle ensued, during which the passenger inflicted "various bites, scratches, kicks, and punches" on the officers which led to her arrest.
The detained passenger remains in custody in Lanzarote and will appear before the judicial authorities today (Tuesday). The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) has stated it will "defend the interests of the agents" involved in the incident.
