A passenger of an American Airlines flight from San Jose del Cabo in Mexico to Los Angeles ended up being detained by US authorities shortly after the plane touched down in LAX on Wednesday after the man attacked a flight attendant.
A short video that appears to depict the incident shows a man dressed in an orange floral print shirt punching a flight attendant in the head from behind, just as the latter was walking away from his assailant down the aisle.
“Are you threatening me?” the flight attendant can be heard asking a passenger just prior to the altercation.
According to CBS News, a witness said that other passengers helped restrain the suspect until the plane landed.
The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, was detained on suspicion of interfering with a flight crew, which is a federal offense, the media outlet adds, citing the FBI, which is handling the investigation due to the fact that the altercation occurred in the air.
“Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines. 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,” American Airlines said in a statement.