Man who diverted flight reaches plea deal

TULSA — A Vancouver, Washington, man now knows how much it cost an airline to divert a flight after he admitted Tuesday in court to threatening and intimidating a flight attendant during a crosscountry flight.

Bolutife Olusegun Olorunda, 29, pleaded guilty during a hearing in Tulsa federal court to a misdemeanor count of assault on an aircraft. He faces up to six months in prison and a $5,000 fine when he is sentenced in about 90 days.

As part of the plea deal with prosecutors, Olorunda also agreed to pay restitution totaling $9,118, which represents the cost Delta Airlines incurred to divert the flight on which he was riding.

Olorunda was arrested May 30 after the captain of the aircraft, originally scheduled to fly from Portland, Oregon, to Atlanta, declared an emergency during the flight and landed at Tulsa International Airport following a disturbance on the plane.

Flight crew members said during the flight that Olorunda began disrupting other passengers by “singing out loud and screaming,” according to an affidavit filed in connection with his arrest.

A flight attendant approached Olorunda and tried to get his attention, but his efforts were ignored as the man reportedly “continued to act erratic and was disorderly,” the affidavit says.

The attendant became more direct with Olorunda and told him he was disturbing other passengers, to which he responded, “Don’t touch me, and if you touch me again you will regret it,” the document says.

The employee then alerted other attendants and requested assistance from able-bodied passengers if Olorunda became violent, according to the affidavit.

Prosecutors charged Olorunda with the misdemeanor count July 6 after a grand jury named him earlier in a felony indictment with interfering with the duties of a flight crew.

Olorunda admitted Tuesday during the court hearing that he was singing and dancing at his seat while listening to headphones during the flight. He also admitted to telling the flight attendant that “she would regret it” if she touched him.

After air marshals sat on both sides of him for the remainder of his time on the plane, Olorunda said: "At that time I realized there was something very serious going on.”

In addition to paying restitution, Olorunda may be levied civil fines from two federal agencies — the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Delta Airlines also has banned Olorunda from boarding any future flights.