Officials say a Southwest Airlines passenger was hospitalized after opening an emergency exit and boarding the suite

A Southwest Airlines passenger was taken to a hospital for evaluation after he opened the plane’s emergency exit door and exited into the plane’s wing on Sunday, officials said.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, where the plane was still in the air taxiway and was not moving.

It is not clear what prompted the passenger to open the emergency exit.

“He was arrested on the runway and transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” the Sheriff’s Office said. Officials did not reveal the nature of treatment at the hospital.

NBC News has reached out to the Sheriff’s Office for more details.

There are no criminal charges in connection with the incident, and the investigation has been turned over to federal authorities, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

After a short delay, the flight eventually departed for Atlanta and continued on to its final destination in Baltimore, Southwest Airlines said.

“We commend the flight and ground crew for their quick action and apologize to our customers for the inconvenience caused,” the airline said.

The airport confirmed an incident involving a “passenger’s unauthorized disembarkation on Southwest Airlines,” but delayed further comment to the Sheriff’s Office.