Viral video shows Alaska Airlines flight attendant punching screaming man who attacked female passenger
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant was forced to repeatedly pummel a screaming man experiencing a “violent medical episode” to free the woman he was attacking during it, viral video shows.
The disturbing footage, uploaded to social media, shows the male flight attendant aboard Flight 221 to Portland, Ore., desperately trying to save the female passenger after the man behind her suddenly grabbed her hair before takeoff from Oakland, Calif., on Feb. 1.
“Let go of her hair!” someone can be heard shouting as the flight attendant tries to pry the man’s hands off her locks.
When that fails, the flight attendant starts punching the man in the throat and torso until the unruly passenger finally relents and lets go of the frightened woman, who was helped out of the aisle by other flyers.
The flight attendant can be seen pushing the man’s face back, keeping him in place as the passenger begins howling uncontrollably.
The Alaska flight attendant then calls on “another capable male” to step up and help him keep the unruly passenger from harming anyone else.
One of the witnesses who uploaded the video to X claimed the out-of-control passenger was “saying weird stuff and rocking back and forth” before the incident.
After the chaotic outburst, the plane returned to the gate at the Oakland Airport, with the unruly passenger arrested and taken into police custody. The flight was then canceled.
Alaska Airlines confirmed that the viral incident occurred on one of its flights as it commended the flight attendant’s quick actions and banned the suspect from all future flights with the company.
“He appeared to be experiencing a violent medical episode that involved an ongoing physical assault against other passengers and our crew,” the airliner explained in a statement.
“Our flight attendants’ highest responsibility is the safety of guests and crew on board,” Alaska said. “Our crew responded to this chaotic situation quickly and kept all guests safe until law enforcement could intervene.
“At this time, the guest in question has been banned from Alaska and Horizon due to the nature of the physical assault.”
