Off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson of Alaska Airlines was detained for allegedly attempting to cut engines mid-flight, according to officials.
According to officials and a source who confirmed the details to CBS News' Kris Van Cleave, an Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency diversion to Portland, Oregon,
on Sunday after an off-duty pilot in the cockpit attempted to shut down the plane's engines mid-flight but was unsuccessful.
After the aircraft successfully touched down at Portland's airport, police detained a suspect, identified as Joseph Emerson,
and charged him with attempted murder, authorities told CBS News.
Emerson, 44, is charged with numerous offenses, including 83 counts of attempted murder, according to online jail records from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
The pilot was heard telling air traffic control during the incident, "We've got the guy who tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit."
Emerson, who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 210 pounds, was taken into custody on state-related offenses. The FBI declared that it was also looking into the incident.
The FBI field office in Portland stated in the statement that "there is no ongoing threat associated with this incident."
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