After an American Airlines aircraft arrived in Los Angeles, a man was detained for allegedly punching a flight attendant in the back of the head on film.
On Thursday, authorities charged Alexander Tung Cuu Le with interfering with a flight crew. If convicted, Le of Westminster, California, faces up to 20 years in jail.
The event occurred on a flight from San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, to Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday. Another passenger captured video of a guy going up behind a male flight attendant and striking him as the staff member proceeded in the opposite direction.
According to an FBI agent’s affidavit, immediately after takeoff, Le grabbed the shoulders of another flight attendant and requested for coffee. He was instructed to wait.
The male flight attendant urged Le, 33, to go back to his assigned seat after he moved from the back of the plane to an available seat near the first-class section. Rather, based on the affidavit, Le took a two-fisted combat posture and swung an arm at a crew member, but missed.
The flight attendant was on his way to inform the pilot about the event when he got hit in the back of the head.
According to the FBI agent, other travellers caught Le and shackled his hands and legs with shackles brought by a separate flight attendant. The wounded flight attendant was brought to the hospital after spending the rest of the journey with an ice pack on his head.
The traveller engaged in hazardous, life-threatening conduct, according to the president of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union that represents America’s cabin crew.
Fortunately, the crew and passengers restrained the person, and the flight landed safely, said Julie Hedrick, a union spokeswoman. This aggressive behavior endangers the wellbeing of all passengers and staff and must be stopped.
Curtis Blessing, an airline spokesperson, said the individual has been barred from ever flying in America. He stated that American were assisting law enforcement in their investigation into the event.
Passenger Punches Flight Attendant Mid-FlightA passenger sucker punched a flight attendant during a flight from Mexico to California. The plane was headed from the resort town of Cabo San Lucas to Los Angeles when the violence erupted 20 minutes into the fight.
Posted by Inside Edition on Thursday, 22 September 2022
Airlines have recorded over 2,000 instances engaging rowdy flyers this year, down from nearly 6,000 last year despite a 38% rise in U.S. air travelers, as per Federal Aviation Administration numbers.
The majority of the events in 2021 and early 2022 included travellers who chose not to wear face masks, but a federal court in April overturned the federal need for masks on airlines and public transit.
Government statistics do not show how frequently the events turn violent, though it seems to be uncommon. The most prominent example featured a young lady who struck a Southwest flight attendant on an aircraft in California, fracturing some of her teeth. The lady received a 15-month jail term.
