A Florida man busted for jumping out of a taxiing Delta flight at LaGuardia Airport said he was having a panic attack — and only made the bold move with his girlfriend and service dog because the crew refused to turn around and let them off.
“I got anxiety and depression,” Antonio Murdock said outside Queens Criminal Court, where he was charged with trespassing and reckless endangerment on Tuesday.
“It was a panic attack,” Murdock said. “I asked them three or four times to let me off. They said they were stopping the plane and they never stopped the plane, and I got to the point where I was just feeling dizzy.”
“I didn’t even know there was a slot to go down the slide,” he said. “I just thought it was a regular door. I don’t know what I was thinking at the time. I wasn’t doing a criminal act.”
Murdock, 31, and his 23-year-old girlfriend, Brianna Greco, were aboard Delta Flight 462 on their way to Atlanta around 11 a.m. Monday when they opened the cabin door and jumped down the inflatable emergency slide at the Queens airport.
They took their Great Dane puppy, Rain, down with them, authorities said.
Queens Assistant District Attorney Robin Kwalbrun asked for Murdock to be held on bail, citing prior criminal cases and $173,000 in damage to the Airbus A321 from the stunt.
But Legal Aid attorney Julian Oladiran, asked for his client to be released without bail.
“I don’t see any harm or anything allegedly done to the stewardess except the statement that he made that he wanted to get off the plane.”
Judge Toko Serita agree to release Murdock without bail and issued an order of protection to keep him from getting in touch with the flight attendant.
Asked about the damage to the plane, Murdock said he had “no idea about that.”
“I didn’t commit a crime. I have mental health issues,” he said. “People make mistakes.”
A Texas man believed to be "delusional" was arrested on felony and misdemeanor charges early Saturday after allegedly chasing a Hot Springs police officer's unit into the gated back lot of the police department.
Antonio Demar Murdock, 31, who is reportedly from Texas, although the inmate roster listed a Malvern address, was taken into custody shortly before 5 a.m. and charged with a felony count of possession of a controlled substance, marijuana, punishable by up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor count of criminal trespass.
Murdock was later released on a $3,000 bond and is set to appear Oct. 13 in Garland County District Court.
According to the probable cause affidavit, shortly before 4:30 a.m. Saturday, Officer Matthew Cheatham was standing in the back parking lot of the police department, 641 Malvern Ave., speaking with Cpl. Mike Brown when they saw Sgt. Kirk Zaner pull into the back entrance gate and swipe his key card to get in.
As the gate began to open, a dark-colored car pulled up behind Zaner's unit on Jefferson Street and as Zaner started to pull forward into the lot, a man jumped out of the car and began running toward the rear of Zaner's unit. Cheatham and Brown began yelling at Zaner to warn him about the approaching suspect who "continued to run at full speed as if he was attempting to attack (Zaner)."
Zaner heard their warnings and sped forward to get distance between him and the man, who continued running toward his car. Cheatham and Brown drew their duty pistols "for fear of the subject's intentions" and ordered the man to stop.
They noted the man, later identified as Murdock, "made it halfway through" the gated back lot before he finally complied and put his hands in the air and then got on the ground. As they approached him, they noted Murdock was "speaking very erratically" and claimed there was someone in his car trying to kill him.
At that point, Murdock was detained for trespassing and the officers checked his vehicle and found there was no one inside it. Murdock then reportedly claimed the person was "inside his engine bay." Cheatham noted that "it was quickly determined (Murdock) was delusional."
During an inventory of Murdock's vehicle, a 2020 Kia, prior to towing, officers found 15 various sized containers of suspected marijuana, a total of 135.9 grams, or almost 5 ounces. Murdock reportedly admitted the marijuana was his and that he was unable to provide a medical marijuana card.
July 07, 2008
Area law enforcement authorities have identified two suspects involved in the July 7 robberies of Washington Mutual Bank in The Colony and Wachovia Bank in Plano.
Plano police have charged David Permenter and Antonio Murdock, both 19 from Dallas, with aggravated robbery.
The Colony Police Department spokesman Lt. Mike Fox said the suspects arrested in connection with the Plano bank robbery have also been identified as the two suspects that robbed the Washington Mutual Bank in The Colony the same day.
Fox said the suspects have confessed to the crime which occurred in The Colony.
The suspects, described by the FBI as serial bank robbers, will be held in federal custody pending court proceedings, Fox said.
He said The Colony police believe Permenter and Murdock may have been involved in at least five bank robberies in the Metroplex.
According to Plano police records, during the course of the investigation, a withdrawal slip requested by Permenter from a bank teller was left at the scene of the Wachovia robbery. After the slip was processed for fingerprints, a match turned police to Permenter.
Police showed Wachovia bank employees a six-photo lineup where they positively identified Permenter to the Plano crime and issued a warrant for his arrest.
On July 11, Plano investigators, working with law enforcement officers in Arkansas, were able to locate and arrest Permenter.
Murdock was arrested on July 12 in connection with the same robbery.
According to Wachovia bank employees, Murdock stood by a counter adjacent to the teller line while Permenter walked to the counter area of the teller line. After Permenter filled out the withdrawal slip, he pulled out a gun, pointed it at the teller, and demanded money.
The Colony Police Chief Joe Clark commended the efforts of those involved with apprehending the suspects.
"The suspects were largely identified and located by the work of municipal police departments, and a lot of good police work by Dallas, Plano, and The Colony," Clark said. "Since the suspects are both out of state, it is probably best for all agencies involved that it is handled at this point in this manner."
Permenter is being held in the Hot Springs County Jail on a $250,000 bond. Murdock is being held in the Garland County Jail on a $100,000 bond.