Thelife- An American Airlines passenger was arrested this week in connection to an attack on a staffer.
- The 29-year-old traveler is facing multiple charges, including aggravated battery.
An American Airlines passenger who was arrested this week at Florida's Miami International Airport is accused of wreaking havoc on a plane before takeoff, attacking a worker, leaving her hospitalized with "permanent" injuries, airline officials and police allege.
The 29-year-old traveler from Connecticut is now facing several charges, including aggravated battery, battery, and disorderly conduct in connection to the Monday chaos, an arrest affidavit obtained by Business Insider shows.
It's not clear if the suspect has a defense attorney yet in the case.
The Miami-Dade Police Department report says the chaos unfolded before American Airlines Flight 2213 took off for New York City. Police allege in the report that the passenger told an attendant that he has panic attacks and wanted his medication from inside his already-checked luggage.
The arrest affidavit says that the flight attendant told the passenger that she couldn't get the medication from his bag. Police allege in the arrest affidavit that the man told her that he "took planes down with panic attacks in the past."
Shortly after, the flight crew decided to have the passenger removed from the aircraft, according to the police report.
The man was accused of punching an airline manager in the face
Police allege in the report that when an American Airlines manager approached the passenger, the man started to "scream and push" her away from him. Police allege in the affidavit that as the man was exiting the aircraft, he punched the manager multiple times in the face.
Police allege in the affidavit that the passenger then threw the airline manager on the floor, causing her to hit her head on the jet bridge, giving her "permanent" scarring to her face and head. The manager had "serious" injuries and was hospitalized, the police report says.
Police allege in their report that the passenger then ran off and pushed an American Airlines gate agent so hard that she fell on the ground and hurt her hands.
Authorities were called to the gate at Miami International Airport and found the suspect "screaming and kicking" as other passengers were holding him down for police, according to the report.
When police took the suspect into custody, he resisted the officers by kicking and trying to free himself from the handcuffs, police allege in the arrest affidavit. He was later brought to a local hospital, according to the police report.
An American Airlines spokesperson told Business Insider in a statement that law enforcement was called to the airport "due to a disturbance on the jet bridge where a customer physically assaulted a team member."
"Acts of violence against our colleagues are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation," the spokesperson said. "Our thoughts are with our team member, and we are ensuring they have the support they need at this time."
The FAA has 'zero-tolerance' for unruly passengers
The Federal Aviation Administration has a "zero-tolerance" policy for unruly passenger behavior.
So far this year, the FAA has received about 1,900 unruly passenger reports, stats show. In 2022, the federal agency received 2,455 reports of unruly passengers, which was down 59% from record highs in 2021.