Air Passenger Arrested after Refusing to Turn off Cellphone

A man was detained by El Paso, Texas police after refusing to turn off his cellphone on a Southwest Airlines flight.

The incident occurred Monday afternoon on Southwest Flight 1833 from Phoenix. Southwest Airlines spokeswoman Whitney Eichinger told The Associated Press Tuesday that the male passenger turned his cellphone on as the flight was landing in El Paso.

The man was immediately asked to turn the phone off. When he didn't, El Paso authorities met the flight at the gate and took the man into custody. They also questioned several passengers on the plane about the events, according to the El Paso Times.

The man's name and further details weren't released.

The FAA doesn't allow in-flight cell phone use because of the potential for it to interfere with communications between the pilot and the ground, as well as possible interference with functions on the plane.