Imagine standing in line at the airport, waiting to check in and drop your luggage. Suddenly, you hear a smash. You look up from your phone and see a black Mercedes sedan has crashed into the ticketing counter.

The driver opens the door and steps out. For a split second, travelers wonder if it’s something far worse. Then they see a man wearing a Detroit Lions jersey, yelling incoherently.

That’s what travelers experienced at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, around 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Traveler Ali Khalifa told the news, “That all happened in seconds.” Help arrived just as quickly. “The response was so quick, thank God, with the cops and TSA and everybody.”

Authorities took the driver into custody and treated six people for injuries at the scene. Officials have not said how severe those injuries were.

Airport operations return to normal

By Sunday, The Detroit News published photos showing the damaged terminal window covered with plywood. The outlet reported, “Operations back to normal.”

Investigators have not said what motivated the driver. Authorities also have not explained how he built up enough speed to crash through the terminal and reach the ticket counter. Travelers familiar with the airport noted that traffic typically crawls past the terminal on busy Friday nights.