American Airlines passenger is facing up to 20 years in prison after sucker-punching male flight attendant on plane from Cabo to Los Angeles
- The incident transpired on Flight 377 from San Jose del Cabo to LAX on Wednesday, and saw the passenger removed from the plane after it landed
- Upon arriving at the airport, the suspect – who has not been named – was detained on suspicion of interfering with a flight crew
- If found guilty of the offense, a federal felony, the man – who allegedly threatened the attendant before the filmed attack – could face 20 years in prison
Shocking footage shows the moment an American Airlines passenger attacked a unsuspecting flight attendant – sneaking up behind him and sucker punching the staffer aboard a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles.
The incident transpired on Flight 377 from San Jose del Cabo to LAX on Wednesday, and saw the passenger removed from the plane after it touched down stateside.
Upon arriving at the airport, the suspect – who has not been named – was detained on suspicion of interfering with a flight crew.
If found guilty of the offense, a federal felony, the man – who allegedly threatened the male attendant before the filmed attack – could face up to 20 years in prison.
The incident reportedly started after the suspect started nonsensically mumbling to himself about ‘killers’ aboard the California-bound plane, reportedly whispering, ‘there are 10 killers on the plane.’
At that point, a female flight attendant reportedly went back to address the man, with the the male attendant who was attacked joining to assist, passengers said.
Video taken by passenger Barrie Livingstone shows the immediate aftermath of the encounter, with the male flight attendant standing in the aisle in front of the man, who is out of view and out of his seat.
Shocking footage shows the moment an American Airlines passenger attacked a unsuspecting flight attendant – sneaking up behind him and sucker punching the staffer aboard a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles
The two seem to exchange words in an apparently tense encounter. Twice, the male attendant asks the disgruntled traveler, ‘Are you threatening me?’
Off-screen, the suspect appears to lurch toward the attendant, causing the staffer to say, ‘All right, that’s it,’ before turning his back to move away from the man.
He then turns around and starts heading for the front of the plane – when the man suddenly attacks.
Gasps can be heard as the unruly passenger, dressed in an orange Hawaiian shirt, sprints toward the unaware staffer from behind.
The suspect then, while the attendant’s back is turned, strikes him in the back of the head with a closed fist.
‘Oh, my God!’ a passenger can be heard shouting amid the resulting chaos, after the seemingly middle-aged suspect lands the underhanded blow. ‘What are you doing?’
Amid the subsequent commotion, the worker who was attacked can be seen producing a phone to presumably call the authorities, as the man backs off while seemingly admiring his handiwork, returning to his seat.
Another crew member can be seen rushing to retrieve a pair of restraint cuffs.
A producer for CBS San Diego affiliate KFMB-TV who was on board the plane said passengers then ‘helped restrain’ the suspect, before staffers were able to tie him to his seat with flex cuffs, a zip-tie-like device used by airlines to detain passengers.
A separate video on social media shows the airplane workers engaging in that act, restraining the offender to his chair as awestruck passengers continue to look on.
He was then led off the plane by Los Angeles Airport Police once the plane landed, and has since been detained pending an investigation into the incident – which could see him charged with a federal crime.
His identity was not immediately released – however, a spokesman for American Airlines said the man has since been permanently banned from flying with the carrier and was taken into police custody.
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