Southwest passenger facing federal charges for urinating on plane outside bathroom

A man was arrested on Friday after he caused such a scene on a Feb 18 flight from Dallas Fort Worth airport to Burbank, that the pilot had to divert the plane's course.

The Southwest airlines plane ended up making an unscheduled stop at Alburquerque, due to the alleged behavior of Samson Migueal Hardridge, which in turn sparked concerns over the safety of the other passengers and the crew.

The federal complaint states that Hardridge "...committed the federal offense of interfering with flight crew memebers and attendants," which is listed as a federal crime in the US Code.

The complaint goes on to specify that, according to witness testimony, Hardridge made it impossible for the crew to properly perform their required duties, which was what sparked the decision to effect the emergency landing in Alburquerque.

It appears that Hardridge was waiting to use the bathroom, but was occupying galley space. A flight attendant asked him to please move to the carpeted area, and he refused.

After refusing a second request to move he allegedly "...proceeded to the aft galley door of the aircraft and began urinating." When another flight attendant asked him to stop, he "became very hostile," yelling threats at both flight attendants.

Upon landing in Alburquerque, Hardridge was met by police officers and forced off the plane, which then continued to California.

As per the US Code, Hardridge could potentially be facing a sentence of as many as 20 years in a federal prison, if convicted.