Purported pen poking led to Southwest flight removal

CHICAGO, April 17 (UPI) -- Southwest Airlines said a woman was kicked off a flight in Chicago for "poking" a snoring man with a pen, but a purported fellow passenger said the man was "stabbed."

Initial reports from a fellow passenger on Thursday's Southwest Flight 577 to Manchester, N.H., said the plane returned to the gate at Midway Airport after a woman stabbed a seatmate with a pen. Reports variously said the woman was angry at the man for snoring or was trying to get his hand away from her arm.

"A customer on Flight 577 was removed from the flight for poking her seatmate with a pen to stop him from snoring," Southwest said in a statement. "The flight departed shortly after the passenger was removed and is now on its way to MHT. The passenger in question will be accommodated on a later flight. No injuries were reported."

The woman was escorted off the plane by Chicago police, but a Southwest spokeswoman said no arrest was made.

"Imagine being asleep and then being stung by bees and waking up and going, 'Ow,'" the victim, Lenny Mordarski, told reporters after landing in New Hampshire.

A Twitter user named Michael Sutton said he was present when the male passenger, who he identified as "Lenny," was more than merely "poked" with the pen.

"I know its a funnier story to say Lenny was poked w/a pen on Flight 577 but he was stabbed. PD asked if he wanted to press assault charges," Sutton tweeted.