Video Shows Passenger Sucker Punching American Airlines Flight Attendant in Head
A passenger was arrested after video shows him running up and punching an American Airlines flight attendant in the back of the head during a flight to Los Angeles Wednesday, according to a local news report and social media video.
Video shared on social media shows a man in an orange, tropical print shirt suddenly run up and punch the flight attendant in the back of the head.
It came just after the male flight attendant confronted the man during a flight Wednesday from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico to Los Angeles, asking the passenger “Are you threatening me?” and then possibly avoiding a jab from the passenger before turning around and walking towards the front of the plane.
That’s when video shows the man charge towards the front, throws a punch towards the back of the flight attendant’s head before retreating to the back of the plane.
The incident happened on American Airlines flight 377 on Wednesday from San Jose del Cabo Airport to Los Angeles International Airport, landing at 3:55 p.m. Pacific time.
A spokesman for Fort Worth-based American Airlines said the man has been permanently banned from flying with the carrier and that he was removed by law enforcement after the plane landed safely and taxied to the gate at Los Angeles International.
“Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines,” American Airlines spokesman Derek Walls said in a statement. “The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with us in the future, and we will work closely with law enforcement in their investigation.”
The video then shows the same flight attendant gets on the phone while another crew member retrieves restraint cuffs. A separate video on social media shows the man being cuffed to his seat with the flex cuffs, a zip-tie-like device used by airlines for sometimes detaining unruly passengers.
According to a passenger account from the ABC 7 news channel in Los Angeles, the incident started after the man started whispering “There are 10 killers on the plane.” After that, a female flight attendant went back to address the man before the male flight attendant went back to assist, the passenger told ABC 7.
The male flight attendant appears to have avoided serious injury, at least enough to make a call on the plane’s phone system after the incident.
“We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism to ensure the safety of their fellow team members and customers on board,” Walls said. “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.”
The number of unruly passenger incidents such as this one have plummeted since face mask mandates for airplanes were dropped in April. Still, there have been nearly 2,000 reports of unruly passengers and 680 investigations initiated of incidents by the FAA so far this year, far surpassing any year before 2021.
Last November a woman was arrested at Dallas Love Field after punching a female flight attendant for Southwest Airlines during boarding. That passenger was sentenced to 15 months in prison for the assault.
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