Watch: Flyer punches flight attendant mid-air; banned for life, 20 yr jail on cards

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California: A 33-year-old man from was arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly punching a flight attendant in the back of the head during an American Airlines flight from Mexico to Los Angeles, US media reported.

The incident came into public view after a fellow passenger shot the video of the whole incident and posted on social media.

The accused Alexander Tung Cuu Le, of Westminster, California, was detained on suspicion assaulting a flight attendant on Flight 377 from San Jos? del Cabo to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), said the FBI adding that he will face 20 years in prison if got convicted.

As per reports, the video was taken by a passenger, Barrie Livingstone. It shows the flight attendant standing in the aisle, facing the back of the plane, asking a passenger, “Are you threatening me. Are you threatening me?” He then turns around and starts heading for the front of the plane.

At that point, a passenger is seen rushing up to him and punching him, hard in the back of his head, before returning to his seat.

An eyewitness, reportedly a producer in US media channel who was on board, said that the fellow passenger helped restrain the suspect until the flight landed. He was led off the plane by Los Angeles Airport Police, he said.

In a statement issued by American Airlines said that the passenger physically assaulted a flight attendant and will never be allowed to travel with us in the future.

The Association of Professional Flight attendants, a union that represents more than 24,000 flight attendants at American Airlines, responded to the incident saying, the incident was dangerous, life-threatening and part of a pattern of similar situations that put flight attendants at risk.

According to data from the Federal Aviation Administration, 146 investigations into unruliness on planes were initiated in 2019. However in 2022, there have been 680 such investigations so far in the nine months, New York times reported.

(With inputs from agencies)

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