KTLA-TV reported that an airplane passenger was caught punching an American Airlines flight attendant in the back during a Wednesday afternoon flight between Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Los Angeles International Airport.
What was the beef? A second passenger said the station told the attacker that he could not use the lavatory at the front of the plane as he wasn’t a first-class passenger.
What About The Details?
Video captures the flight attendant standing in front of the plane, speaking towards the back and saying “Are you threatening me?” Is this threatening you? Then, he appears to have directed the man to sit down.
The flight attendant then turns around and walks towards the front of the aircraft. The passenger follows and runs up to the attendant, punching him or her in the head.
As the passengers scream in disbelief, the passenger returns to his seat.
Barrie Livingstone was the passenger who captured the incident on video and told KTLA that the flight attendant was “so shocked”.
Livingstone said that “once [the passenger] started screaming, the flight attendant just turned and walked off.” Livingstone also noted that the passenger “jumped out of his seat, bolted down [the] aisle, and punched him in the back.” It was completely unprovoked.
What’s Next?
KTLA reported that four passengers helped to restrain the attacker by using zip ties to his feet and hands.
Source: YouTube
According to the station, a flight attendant was also equipped with duct tape.
Source: YouTube
Livingstone explained to KTLA that it felt like he was helpless. “Then every 10 minutes, he would sort of have Tourette’s [syndrome] where he would just lash out screaming and shouting about being a messiah or feeling misunderstood.
The station stated that the LAX police and FBI agents arrested the passenger after the plane touched down.
KCBS-TV reported that the FBI is currently investigating the incident. They also stated that the FBI had taken the unnamed passenger into custody on suspicion of interfering in flight crew operations, a federal crime.
According to KTLA, American Airlines stated that it would not tolerate violence against its team members. “The person involved in this incident will not be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future. We will closely work with law enforcement during their investigation.”
