Originally Posted by
dera
If the perp only used his fists to bang on the window, I wouldn't have any concern regarding structural integrity.
Maybe the FO was working day 6 and about to need a 32/7, and about to time out for the day, and most stations with company ops were closed for the night that were on the way.
The usual caveats, we weren't there, nor do we know all the moving parts that were happening.
I would talk to dispatch, see what they think, but I wouldn't be spring loaded to divert, assuming he was under control and posed no active threat to anyone.
I agree about the window. But the pax might not. And the perp can flip the script to victimhood if he's uncomfortably restrained longer than necessary... that's a thing in law enforcement these days.
Personally I'm not shouldering the responsibility for that mess for one minute longer than absolutely necessary. "Operational considerations" (aka $$$) rarely looks like a good excuse to regulators, courts, etc.
I might give dispatch a choice of airports within an 80nm circle.