Shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said the man was in front of the airport, screaming that people were trying to kill him. When he bolted for a parking garage, officers chased him. He hopped over a fence, started running on a taxiway, took off his clothes and jumped inside a truck that had been left running, police said.
@KETV Man at Epply jumped fence, took truck and ran into Southwest plane boarding for Denver. pic.twitter.com/cSTgXKGDET
— StephVintonPollock (@VintonPollock) August 26, 2016
The man is accused of slamming the vehicle into the nose gear of a plane that was boarding for a flight to Denver. Several crew members reported minor injuries, but none of the 18 travelers on board the plane were hurt.
The man was still screaming as he was apprehended.
Southwest officials said they removed the plane from flying until it can inspect the craft for damage.
The airline said it expected to resume the disrupted flight after a three-hour delay.