Flight From Dallas Turns Into Cabin Chaos
An American Airlines flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark had to divert to Baltimore on Thursday night after a passenger allegedly launched into a drunken tirade that quickly got out of hand. Witnesses told TMZ the man appeared drunk and began yelling at the passenger beside him about Jesus and going to hell. When a Black flight attendant tried to calm him down, he allegedly called her a racial slur and also used an anti-gay slur. Not exactly the friendly skies, unless your idea of travel includes a one-man meltdown at cruising altitude.
https://x.com/Complex/status/2095939127472709775?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Passengers Step In With Duct Tape And Zip Ties
According to witnesses, the confrontation turned physical when the man allegedly hit the passenger next to him, struck that passenger’s laptop, and pushed a woman who tried to intervene. Three male passengers then stepped in, and flight attendants handed them duct tape and zip ties. The men restrained the passenger to his seat around the torso, hands, and head. The cockpit diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where the plane landed about 15 minutes later.
Two Men Describe What They Saw
Two passengers who helped restrain the man, Juan Mejia, a retired law enforcement officer, and Richard Olenick, spoke to CBS about the incident. Mejia said the cabin changed fast, saying, “Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos.” He said he turned around and saw the man with his hands around the neck of the passenger beside him. Olenick said the man called one of the flight attendants the N-word. Mejia also said everyone in first class was “basically victimized” by the hatred, discrimination, hostility, and vulgar language coming from the passenger.
Restraint Did Not Come Easy
Mejia said the passenger did not go quietly. He said the man bit his hand, leaving teeth marks but not breaking the skin. Mejia also said they were covered in the man’s blood because the passenger was bleeding from cuts he inflicted on himself. It is a sad sign of the times when regular passengers have to become a midair security team because someone cannot behave like a grown adult on a commercial flight.
Arrest And Charges In Maryland
The FBI said Maryland Transportation Authority Police arrested and booked the passenger on state charges. The passenger has not been publicly identified. View from the Wing reported that he is reportedly 67 years old, and that police found two men still holding him at Gate C3. Officers handcuffed him and removed the tape and zip ties, and they reported that he then struck an officer in the chest. He was charged with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, released on his own recognizance Friday, and his state trial is scheduled for October 19.
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