A passenger on a Saudia Airlines flight was arrested after allegedly punching a crew member and trying to open a cabin door just seconds after the plane landed.
Around 1:00 p.m. local time on Aug. 28, police were called to a plane at London’s Heathrow Airport, where they arrested a 33-year-old man, according to the Metropolitan Police in a statement to PEOPLE.
“Officers at London Heathrow Airport were called to an aircraft, which had recently landed following reports of a disturbance,” police said. “Officers arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of endangering an aircraft, two counts of assault by beating, behaving in a threatening, abusive or disorderly manner towards a member of aircraft crew and damaging an aircraft.”
The Independent reported that the passenger began arguing with a staff member before hitting him as he tried to open the plane door shortly after landing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
The pilots alerted police after landing, saying the man had gone “berserk” and refused to wait for normal disembarkation, according to The Independent and The Evening Standard.
In photos published by The Sun, multiple police vans and fire trucks surrounded the plane on the runway. Firefighters were seen using a raised crane to reach the cabin door.
“It was chaos on board and very frightening for families,” one witness told The Sun. “The plane had wheels down but a passenger was so agitated and struck out at the crew because he wanted to get off there and then. Passengers and airport workers looking on were dumbstruck … as ambulance and police vehicles dashed to the scene.”
After officials arrived, they entered the cockpit to arrest the man, The Sun reported.
The suspect has since been released under investigation while enquiries continue, police told PEOPLE.
According to flight records obtained by The Independent, the Saudia flight left Jeddah 38 minutes late and landed in London more than six hours later.
PEOPLE has contacted Saudia Airlines and the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority for comment but has not yet received a response.
