On a journey from Mexico to Los Angeles, an American Airlines passenger ambushed an unwary flight attendant by coming up behind him and sucker hitting him, as captured on shocking video.
Wednesday’s incident occurred on Flight 377 from San Jose del Cabo to LAX, and the passenger was removed from the aircraft after landing in the United States.
The unidentified suspect was stopped upon arrival at the airport on suspicion of tampering with a flight crew.
The man who allegedly intimidated the male attendant before the videotaped assault faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the federal felony.
The incident reportedly began when the suspect began babbling incoherently about ‘killers’ on the plane going for California, purportedly murmuring, ‘there are ten killers on the plane.’
Passengers said that a female flight attendant then returned to address the man, with the male flight attendant who had been attacked coming in to assist.
A video captured by passenger Barrie Livingstone shows the male flight attendant standing in the aisle in front of the man, who is no longer visible and has left his seat.
A friend was flying from Cabo to LAX when a man assaulted a flight attendant for denying him access to the first-class restroom. Later, he was detained by fellow passengers and arrested upon landing. The video was photographed by Barrie Livingstone. twitter.com/PntVqWyWs9
— Saad Mohseni (@saadmohseni) September 22, 2022
Shocking video captures the moment an American Airlines passenger attacked an unwary flight attendant, coming up behind him and sucker punching him on a journey from Mexico City to Los Angeles.
In what appears to be a tense exchange of words, the two parties appear to confront one another. The male attendant asks the irate passenger twice, “Are you threatening me?”
Off-screen, the suspect appears to lunge toward the attendant, prompting the man to exclaim “All right, that’s it” before turning his back and moving away from the suspect.
He then turns around and begins moving toward the front of the plane, when he is abruptly attacked by a man.
The boisterous guest, wearing an orange Hawaiian shirt, can be heard eliciting gasps as he dashes toward the oblivious employee from behind.
The suspect then smacks the attendant in the back of the head with a closed fist while the employee’s back is turned.
‘Oh, my God!’ In the ensuing confusion, a passenger can be heard shouting after the middle-aged suspect delivers the underhanded punch. “What are you up to?”
During the ensuing uproar, the worker who was assaulted can be seen producing a phone, probably to call the authorities, before returning to his seat and clearly admiring his man.
Another crew member is seen frantically retrieving a set of handcuffs.
A producer for the CBS San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV who was on board the plane reported that passengers ‘helped hold’ the suspect before personnel were able to secure him to his seat with flex cuffs, a device similar to zip ties that airlines use to arrest people.
A different social media video depicts the flight attendants performing this feat, confining the offender to his seat while passengers continue to stare in awe.
Upon landing, Los Angeles Airport Police brought him off the aircraft, and he has since been arrested pending an investigation into the incident, which might result in him being charged with a federal crime.
His identity was not immediately disclosed; however, a spokesperson for American Airlines stated that the man has been permanently barred from flying with the airline and has been taken into prison.