After being recorded on smartphone camera striking a flight attendant in the head on a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles, an American Airlines passenger was apprehended by the FBI.
According to a statement from the airline, the assault happened on Wednesday’s flight 377 from San Jose del Cabo to LAX, according to CBS News.
The passenger was reportedly taken from the aircraft when it landed in Los Angeles and jailed on suspicion of interfering with a flight crew, a federal offence that carries a maximum 20-year prison sentence, according to the FBI. The name of the suspect is unknown.
A man was arrested by Los Angeles Airport police after assaulting a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight from Cabo. pic.twitter.com/2VDXxIqUfn
— ????????BellaLovesUSA???????????? (@Bellamari8mazz) September 22, 2022
A male flight attendant can be seen questioning a passenger, “Are you threatening me?” in a 30-second recording made by fellow passenger Barrie Livingstone and posted on social media.
The staff member then turns his back on the rowdy passenger who goes up to the American Airlines employee from behind and smacks him in the back of the head with a closed fist while wearing an orange floral shirt.
“Oh, my God!” another traveler exclaims. “What are you doing?”
Malik Earnest, a producer for KFMB-TV who was on the flight, reported that other passengers restrained the assault suspect until law enforcement officers removed him.
The flight attendant did not appear to be gravely harmed, according to a another passenger who spoke to ABC Eyewitness News.
The witness, who only gave his name as Kevin, verified that other passengers were using zip ties to hold the suspect.
Additionally, Kevin stated that the suspect started whispering “there are 10 killers on the plane” before the alleged assault.
The witness claimed that a female flight attendant forced the passenger to sit down before her male coworker approached him and confronted him.
The out-of-control customer “will never be allowed to travel with us in the future,” according to American Airlines’ statement.
