Passengers step in to restrain man who was allegedly violent to female companion during flight
American Airlines has made clear that it does not tolerate violence
Passengers onboard an American Airlines flight to North Carolina stepped in to help a woman who was allegedly being subject to violent behavior from the man she was travelling with.
News of the alleged altercation was shared on Twitter by Epoch Times reporter Arjun Singh, who posted a video from the plane he had boarded in Miami, Florida on October 2.
The clip shows a number of people gathered around one row of seats, in front of which one man could be heard saying: "Don't f***ing touch her."
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Alongside the clip, Singh claimed 'several men' had jumped in to subdue a man who was sitting in first class next to a female passenger.
The reporter said there had been a 'violent incident' which led to the response from the other passengers.
One of the men who responded to the alleged violence could also be heard shouting in the video, saying: “Get your f**king hands off of her right now. You touch her again, you’re gonna get f**king arrested.”
The passengers encouraged the woman to move to a different seat, after which the alleged aggressor claimed he had been slapped by the woman.
However, she hit back: “No, you weren’t assaulted. I put my hand over your mouth to make you shut up.”
The plane ended up arriving in North Carolina 26 minutes early, but Singh acknowledged that passengers weren't 'getting off soon' as Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers then boarded the plane.
The officers escorted both the man and woman involved in the altercation away from the scene, after which passengers began to disembark.
American Airlines addressed the incident in a statement to UNILAD, saying: “Two customers traveling together were engaged in an altercation aboard American Airlines flight 310, with service from Miami (MIA) to Charlotte (CLT) on Oct. 2.
"Local law enforcement responded and escorted the customers from the CLT airport.
“We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation.”
On its website, American Airlines states that the safety and comfort of its customers and team members is the company's 'top priority'.
"We will respond seriously to any language or behavior that threatens the well-being or functionality of our crew or any American Airlines team member," it says. "Violent or inappropriate actions may result in the denial of boarding, removal from the terminal or legal prosecution."
It is currently unclear whether any arrests were made as a result of the incident.
UNILAD has contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department for comment.
Topics: American Airlines, Florida, US News, Travel
Emily Brown