Kevin Kennedy Transcript: Dwayne Sheffield Threatened To ‘Blow This Plane Up’ [Audio & TXT]

Tampa Bay Rays announcer Kevin Kennedy was involved in the takedown of an unruly airplane passenger who threatened to blow the plane up and open the door to “suck you all out.*”

Kennedy claims it took eight other passengers to subdue the crazy man, identified as 46-year-old Stanley Dwayne Sheffield, and he was so strong he broke through the first pair of handcuffs they put on him.

Read the full transcript of Kevin Kennedy’s interview with MLB Network Radio.  We transcribed it so you can read the first-hand story from a former MLB manager his took his turn turn to be a real-life hero.

The video is below the transcripts.

The guy was serious he said ’I'm gonna blow this plane up. I’m serious about it.  I’m gonna take you all down with me.’ 

So we thought, number one, he had a bomb on him whether it be a homemade or whatever – that wasn’t the issue – so we had to make a quick decision.

As soon as he started to go for the door he said ‘I’m gonna open this door and suck you all out too,’ we charged and we took him down and took him out and hogtied him and put him in the front row and two guys had their feet on him while he was hogtied.

I got in the front row as well and was right there with them and we eventually diverted to Albuquerque 25 minutes away.

The FBI… The police got him, the FBI came on and we had a four hour layover and the eight of us that were involved in taking this guy down were asked to do an interrogation – which we did willfully, of course.

We’ll see what happens from there.

It was surreal, KC and Jim, it was… I’ve never… I dont wish it on anybody but I think you and Jim or any of us out there in the same situation probably would have done the same thing that the 8 guys invoved in taking this guy out did.  I dont think you would have hesitiated.

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Host of radio show: Kevin, was there much of a fight from him? Can you describe what he looked like and how long of a takedown was it?

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He was a pretty big guy he, we have his name of course, its out there on the internet now. He’s 46 yrs old I’d say he’s about 6-foot plus.

Good size, well over 200 pounds and he was strong, i tell you. There were a couple of guys younger than I that were on top of him as well and they were having a tough time keeping him down.

I had his left arm I tried – let me tell you, Jim how strong he was — he broke the first set of handcuffs behind him that we got locked on him, those platic tie ones that there airlines have.

But fortunately they had another set and we then got our belts off and we used the seat belts with the flight attendants  — that which they do their demo with and we got his hands finally tied behind his back.

And then we got his legs tied hog style, that was the only way to keep him down but he was strong. He was a tough fight.

He was… You know, you’re talking several guys on him to put him down. He just had that adrenaline from whatever the reason was, I’m not gonna speculate on that.

But it was not an easy take down let’s put it that way.

*FYI – It is impossible to open a cabin door during flight because of the pressurization of the aircraft

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