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An American Airlines passenger was arrested on Wednesday, September 21, after he punched a flight attendant during a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles.
A video captured by a passenger onboard flight 377 showed a heated argument mid-air that ended with a man striking the flight attendant in the back of the head.
After the plane landed in Los Angeles, the FBI arrested the man for assaulting a crew member on the flight.
This is the second incident this month that involved an unruly American Airlines passenger. Earlier this month, 61-year-old Timothy Armstrong of Las Vegas, was arrested for screaming at a flight attendant on a flight headed to Salt Lake City International Airport.
The passenger turned aggressive towards the crew member when denied access to the first class bathroom
In the video, the passenger can be seen being combative with a flight attendant standing in the middle of the aisle. During the argument, the flight attendant can be heard asking the man if he was threatening the attendant. As the attendant walks away from the passenger, he mumbles, "Yeah, that's a no."
That is when the passenger runs behind him and strikes him in the head, shocking others on the flight.
According to ABC News, the altercation ensued after the passenger was stopped from using the first class bathroom by the flight attendant.
Following the assault, the man was restrained by other passengers and cabin crew. Authorities were reportedly waiting to arrest the man at the airport gates.
The man's identity wasn't disclosed by the time this article was written.
In a statement, American Airlines said that the person will never be allowed to fly on their planes. The statement also said:
“Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines. Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant, and we are ensuring that they and their fellow crew members have the support they need at this time.”
According to NBC News, the FBI confirmed that the person was detained following an altercation on a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles.
Another American Airlines passenger was sentenced to four months in prison for unruly behavior last year
On September 12, 2022, Kelly Pichardo from New York was sentenced to four months in prison for interfering with crew members on the American Airlines Flight.
According to multiple reports, Picardo was involved in an altercation with another first-class passenger flight in February 2021. The two women reportedly assaulted and used racial slurs against other passengers on the flight. The other passenger, Leeza S. Rodriguez, will be sentenced in November 2022.
According to NBC news, airlines in the U.S. have seen an exponential increase in violent behavior by passengers since 2021.
