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A passenger on an American Airlines flight was restrained to his seat with duct tape and zip ties after a midair outburst, forcing the plane to be diverted.
The flight from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark, New Jersey, had to make an unexpected stop in Baltimore late Thursday night due to the unidentified disruptive passenger who witnesses said was putting others at risk.
The man was allegedly screaming racial and homophobic slurs during the outburst, according to TMZ.
Video footage of the incident shows crew and passengers strapping the man to his seat as he appeared to put up a fight. Photos show the man secured to his seat with duct tape and zip ties, with even his head held to the seat.
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Witnesses said the chaos erupted about two hours into the flight, when the man began yelling at a male passenger next to him. According to TMZ, the man was screaming about Jesus and going to hell, prompting a flight attendant to walk over and attempt to calm the situation.
The man called the flight attendant, who is Black, a racial slur and also shouted anti-gay remarks, according to the outlet. The man also reportedly became violent as he hit the passenger next to him.
A female passenger jumped in to help, but the man pushed her, leading to three other male passengers stepping in, the outlet reported.
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“Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos,” one of the men, retired law enforcement officer Juan Mejia, told CBS Texas. “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.”
Flight attendants handed duct tape and zip ties to the three male passengers, who restrained the unruly man to his seat and held him down as he attempted to break free.
American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed the plane was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where law enforcement took the man into custody.
“On Sept. 3, American Airlines flight 618 diverted to Baltimore (BWI) due to a disruptive customer,” the airline said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Upon arrival, law enforcement met the aircraft and assisted with deplaning the customer before the flight continued to its destination.”
“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,” the statement added.
The FBI said that the Maryland Transportation Police arrested and booked the man on state charges.
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“The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland to determine if federal charges will be filed,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement to CBS Texas.
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