Man pulled off flight for having the words Atom Bomb tattooed across his knuckles



Adam Pearson was pulled off a plane for questioning when a fellow passenger complained about his knuckle tattoos

A man was shocked when he pulled off a Delta flight in Los Angeles for having the words Atom Bomb tattooed across his knuckles.

Food stylist Adam C. Pearson was in his seat preparing to take off for Memphis when a fellow passenger reported him for suspicious behavior.

Pearson felt a tap on his shoulder and, expecting an upgrade, was instead escorted off the plane for questioning.

'I was just shocked,' Pearson told the LA Times. 'All eyes were on me, I felt everyone staring at me and I was like, "I didn't do anything".'

After Pearson explained to the flight attendant that Atom Bomb was a childhood nickname, and not a threat to anyone, he was allowed to return to his seat for the flight.

He tweeted about the event as it happened, writing: 'Just pulled off delta flight, passenger said I was suspicious looking due to my tattoos.'

By the time he arrived in Memphis several hours later his story had gone viral. He landed with 150 emails waiting for him.

Pearson, a Delta frequent flyer Medallion member, is still upset at the treatment he received.

'A public apology would be nice,' he said. 'I’m not out for blood, but why didn’t they offer to book that other person on another flight if they didn’t like my tattoos? Why was that other person more important than me?'

According to a Delta spokesperson, such matters are handled at the discretion of the pilot and flight attendant.