Man thought he saw weapon on flight out of Atlanta, 'panicked' and opened emergency door while plane was on runway

ATLANTA — An international flight out of Atlanta late Tuesday night was disrupted when, police say , a man "panicked," after seeing what he thought was another passenger with a weapon, opened the emergency door and deployed the inflatable slide all while the plane was taxiing.

According to the Atlanta Police Department, officers responded at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after the passenger, aboard an Amsterdam-bound KLM flight, called 911 to report the possible weapon on the plane.

APD says 48-year-old Johannes Van Heertum "believed he saw another passenger with a weapon and appeared to have panicked, ultimately opening the emergency exit door and deploying the inflatable slide while the plane was taxiing." The department added they believe Van Heertum was experienc