A spokesperson for American Airlines confirmed in a same-day statement that an unruly passenger triggered the abrupt diversion of Flight 1775 on Sunday, approximately three hours after the flight departed LAX at 9:15 a.m. PT.
"American Airlines flight 1775 with service from Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington, DC (DCA) diverted to Kansas City (MCI) due to an unruly passenger," the spokesperson detailed. "We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism."
The diverted flight landed safely at MCI around 2:28 p.m. CT, the spokesperson confirmed.
No injury report accompanied the release.
Officers with the Federal Bureau of Investigation were reportedly on the MCI tarmac, as unruly passengers on commercial flights are subject to federal charges.
Although officials have yet to detail what led to the in-flight altercation, Twitter user Mouaz Moustafa (@SoccerMouaz) in several social media posts detailed that passengers of Flight 1775 assisted American Airlines crew members in subduing the suspect.
As the altercation ensued, pilots diverted the flight, prompting a descent of approximately 30,900 feet (9,418 meters) in less than eight minutes.
"Everyone on the plane thought it was the end for everybody," Mouaz detailed, noting that passengers struggled to restrain the man as the Airbus A321 made its diversion.
At one point, a coffee pot was reportedly weaponized to make the unruly passenger comply.
The offending passenger was seen bloodied as authorities wearing gloves carried him off the aircraft.
Passengers were reportedly free to continue their respective trips to Washington, DC, after providing witness interviews with FBI agents.