Air Passenger Charges Racism
PHILADELPHIA — An Indian doctor who was on a flight when a federal air marshal pointed a gun at passengers while another detained an unruly passenger said he was held for hours after the plane landed because of racial profiling.
Bob Rajcoomar, a naturalized citizen and former U.S. Army major from Lake Worth, Fla., filed notice Wednesday in U.S. District Court that he may sue the government for illegal detention and emotional distress, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Thursday.
Rajcoomar said he was held in a filthy cell for about three hours and was given no reasons for his detention. He was later released without being charged.
On the Aug. 31 flight, marshals detained one man aboard Delta Flight 442 from Atlanta to Philadelphia because he allegedly was rummaging through other people’s luggage.
One marshal held his gun on passengers because some of them ignored orders to remain seated with their seat belts on.
“He says, ‘Nobody move, nobody look down the aisle, nobody take pictures or you will go to jail, nobody do anything,’” Rajcoomar said.
After the plane landed and police came aboard to take the unruly man away, Rajcoomar said the marshals came over to him. “One of these marshals came down to me and said, ‘Head down, hands over your head!’”
Rajcoomar said he was given no explanation for why he was being held.
“One of the marshals said something like, ‘We didn’t like the way you look,’” he said.
The other man, detained for being unruly, also was released without charges.
While federal authorities say the marshal was justified in drawing his handgun, consumer advocates and safety experts questioned whether the action was taken too quickly.
The Transportation Safety Administration office in Atlantic