A man was restrained and duct-taped to his seat after an American Airlines flight from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, descended into chaos.
The passenger allegedly appeared to be intoxicated when he began shouting at the man sitting beside him. According to reports, he then lashed out physically, allegedly striking a passenger and smashing his laptop before using both racial and homophobic slurs.
Passengers intervene
Juan Mejia, a retired police officer who was on the flight, described the sudden escalation. "Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos," he said.
"I turned around to look, and the poor gentleman that was sitting next to him in the aisle seat, the individual had his hands around his neck and was, like, assaulting him."
Mejia and another passenger said they restrained the man. A flight attendant handed them duct tape, which they allegedly used to secure his wrists, head and body to the seat.
Flight diverted
The aircraft was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where it landed around 15 minutes later. The passenger was arrested by local police, while federal charges could also be considered by the FBI, according to TMZ.
American Airlines confirmed the flight was diverted because of a "disruptive customer". The passenger was removed from the aircraft, which then continued to Newark.
An American Airlines spokesperson said: "The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence. We thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their understanding."
