A 67-year-old passenger was duct-taped to his seat and restrained with zip ties after allegedly attacking another traveller and racially abusing a flight attendant during an American Airlines flight in the US.
Arthur Lundeen, of Arizona, allegedly began choking the passenger sitting beside him around two hours into the flight from Texas to Newark, New Jersey, on Friday, according to witnesses.
Passengers and crew members intervened to restrain Lundeen after the situation reportedly descended into chaos.
Witnesses said he shouted racial slurs and made homophobic and offensive remarks towards those attempting to control him.
Footage from the aircraft showed Lundeen restrained in his seat with his arms tied, while another passenger appeared to sit on him to prevent further violence.
Juan Mejia, a former police officer who was travelling on the flight, said the incident began suddenly.
“Just like a light switch, all of a sudden, it went from quiet to yelling and chaos,” Mr Mejia told CBS.
He said he turned around after hearing the commotion and saw Lundeen with his hands around the neck of the passenger sitting beside him.
Mr Mejia and other passengers then intervened, eventually managing to restrain Lundeen.
According to the passenger, Lundeen continued to use racial slurs and vulgar language and was “very offensive to women” after he had been restrained.
“We weren’t looking to hurt this individual, we were looking more to restrain him and control him, so it didn’t escalate to go any further,” they said.
The aircraft was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at around 10.15pm local time, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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Police boarded the aircraft after it landed and took Lundeen into custody.
He was subsequently charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault in connection with incidents that allegedly occurred aboard the aircraft at the Baltimore airport.
The FAA said it was investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, the FBI said: “The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the US attorney’s office for the District of Maryland to determine if federal charges will be filed.”
American Airlines said the safety and security of its passengers and employees remained its priority.
“We do not tolerate violence,” a spokesman said, thanking crew members for their professionalism and passengers for their understanding.
In 2024, another passenger was duct-taped to his seat after allegedly attempting to force open an aircraft door and injuring a flight attendant during a flight from Milwaukee to Dallas.
The FAA has reported more than 1,160 unruly passenger incidents so far this year, possessing the power to impose fines of more than $43,000 (£42,000) for such behaviour, in addition to any criminal charges that may follow.
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