A crazed plane passenger who devoured a set of rosary beads on an American Airlines flight is a Haitian doctor whose mother and father were both murdered.
Delange Augustin, 31, was arrested last month after he lashed out just one minute into a flight from Savannah, Georgia, to Miami, Florida.
Augustin, a radiologist, had been traveling with his sister Medjina, who told authorities at the time that they were going to Haiti to ‘flee religious attacks of a spiritual nature’.
Other passengers had to restrain him after he lashed out a flight attendant, before authorities boarded the flight when the pilot quickly returned to Savannah.
Medjina has since had an article she wrote about her brother published in Haitian outlet Le Nouvelliste.
She says that after being released on bail last month the siblings attempted again to return to Haiti, only for Augustin to be jailed again in Georgia before another flight.
Medjina said Augustin was being ‘unjustly detained’ after his violent outburst and held without any help for what she describes as ‘his critical mental health needs’.
She also described how their two parents had both been murdered in the capital Port-au-Prince, his father was killed days before he was born, while his mother was murdered while returning from work in 2023.
According to Medjina, the two were travelling back home in order to renew his J-1 visa before planning to return to the US to complete his radiology training.
She said the stress of his studies combined with the worry about his visa sent her brother over the edge.
Augustin, a radiologist, had been traveling with his sister Medjina, who told authorities at the time that they were going to Haiti to ‘flee religious attacks of a spiritual nature’
Other passengers had to restrain him after he lashed out a flight attendant, before authorities boarded the flight. He is seen here raising his fist, while holding onto his sister
Augustin, according to his sister, has been working at the University of California as part of an observership, he has also been offered to stay as part of a fellowship program – which prompted the trip to Haiti.
While on board the flight to Miami, she said he experienced his ‘very first’ mental health crisis.
She had originally told authorities after his arrest that spirits had followed them onboard as they did not want them to make it to Haiti.
Mentioning this, she said: ‘I initially thought it was a spiritual attack – an interpretation reinforced by my own experiences.
‘What was clearly a medical emergency was tragically mishandled’, Medjina added.
She told authorities that her brother advised her to pray, warning her that: ‘Satan’s disciples had followed them onto the plane’.
Shortly after take off, authorities say he kicked a staff member so hard in the chest he sent them over a row of seats before swallowing a set or rosary beads.
Medjina said her brother swallowed the beads to use as ‘a weapon of strength in the spiritual warfare’ prior to his outburst.
Pilots onboard the flight heard the commotion unfolding on the flight and turned the plane around to land back in Savannah – but that didn’t halt Augustin’s behavior.
He started to then punch and kick the seat of the passenger in front of him and kicked a chair until it collapsed.
Medjina, seen here, had been onboard the flight at the time of the incident
When the official announcement came over the cabin that they would be returning to the airport, Augustin is said to have calmed down.
After touching back down and taxiing to the gate, a flight attendant asked everyone to remain seated.
That was when he stormed the galley and cornered the flight attendant, all of which was captured on video by a fellow passenger.
Medjina said the two were subjected to excessive force, her brother had to be tasered multiple times and was holding onto her hair so hard they had to cut part of it off.
‘He was tased twice while in my arms, and in a profoundly traumatic moment, my hair was forcibly cut to separate us’, she wrote.
‘I too was humiliated, stripped handcuffed and mistreated by a male officer, Medjina added.
Prior to boarding, Medjina writes that her brother was stressing over the consular process in Haiti after the US Embassy was shut.
‘He was barely sleeping, dedicating his nights to studying. Sleep-deprived and exhausted, he continued his efforts with unmatched dedication’, she said.
Augustin was taken into custody by The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and charged with battery, obstruction of law enforcement, and criminal damage
Augustin lashed out at the seat in front of him, throwing kicks and punches at it. The aftermath of which is seen here
As well as kicking and punching the chair in front of him, he is said to have violently assaulted members of staff onboard the flight
Augustin was then taken into custody by The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office and charged with battery, obstruction of law enforcement, and criminal damage.
His sister said that he was x-rayed after the incident due to swallowing the beads, but claims a psychiatric evaluation was not carried out.
After being released on bail, the two then again tried to make their way back to Haiti, this time on a flight from Atlanta where Medjina says he was arrested again.
DailyMail.com has been unable to identify exactly why he was arrested again at this time. His sister said he was taken to the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Georgia.
It was at this facility that Augustin is said to have been diagnosed with schizophrenia ‘and other psychotic disorders’, his sister said.
She also claimed that during this time her brother was asked to sign documents without legal representation present.
He has since been transferred to the Coffee County Jail, in Georgia, where his sister says he remains without any psychiatric help.
‘The mishandling of his situation has led to consequences that have been deeply affected his physical, emotional and professional well-being’, she said.
She added: ‘He meditates on Ephesians 4:24 and 5:8, urging us to live “as children of light”, facing life’s hardships not with despair but with hope and determination.’
Speaking with DailyMail.com prior to the publication going live, Medjina had spoke of an ‘injustice’ in her brother’s detention but had declined to comment further.
She said: ‘There has been a great deal of injustice since the time of his arrest, despite the medical report clearly indicating that he was not mentally well at the time of the incident.’
DailyMail.com has approached the Georgia Department of Corrections for comment.
Rob Rosenberg was one of the other passengers who had been on the flight, and spoke with CBS News Miami about the incident.
He said: ‘He started stomping his feet violently, and heavily. It was kind of a chant he was talking about devils and possession, you kind of had to see it to believe it.’
