A California man was arrested after allegedly attempting to open the doors of an American Airlines flight in mid-air.
On Sunday, February 13, the 50-year-old man reportedly started acting erratically, and had be restrained by crew members and passengers. One member of the crew reportedly struck the man with a coffee pot in an effort to subdue him.
The flight was travelling from Los Angeles to Washington DC but had to be diverted to Kansas due to the incident, footage of which was shared to Twitter.
According to an affidavit filed by the FBI, the 50-year-old was not acting out at the start of the journey. However, he told attendants 'people were attempting to hurt him and they followed him on the plane', CNN reports.
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The man reportedly said the people trying to hurt him were sitting next to him, and that they were trying to harm his family.
The man apparently 'told the flight attendants that they were not flying and that the flight attendants were lying to him'. He is then said to have grabbed a bottle and 'plastic silverware' knife and 'placed the plastic silverware in his shirt sleeve and was holding it like a shank'.
They added that 'He then grabbed a small champagne bottle by the neck of the bottle and attempted to break the bottle on the counter'.
The 50-year-old, who is 6ft 3" and 240 pounds, reportedly tried open the exit door, with a flight attendant hitting him over the head twice with a coffee pot in an effort to stop him.
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The man was then subdued by crew and other passengers on the plane.
One of the passengers who helped was a police officer, who pulled the man away from the door. Another passenger reportedly punched the man.
After the incident, crew members said they did not serve alcohol on the flight.
The flight ultimately had to be diverted to Kansas City Airport, where law enforcement met the plane on arrival.
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Following the incident, the man was arrested and is currently in custody waiting for a hearing to be set.
The 50-year-old received medical care for the injuries sustained while he was subdued.
In a statement issued relating to the case, American Airlines said, 'We’re grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism,' the Independent reports.
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Topics: US News
Shola Lee