This is the moment an American Airlines passenger is escorted from a flight after punching and spitting in attendant’s face, forcing the plane to be diverted.
The bizarre ordeal took place on Wednesday when pilots had to make an emergency landing at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport around 2.20pm after an unruly passenger, identified as Keith Edward Fagiana, acted out.
Fagiana was on Flight 1497 that departed Fort Worth, Texas heading to Bozeman, Montana when he allegedly punched a flight attendant in the face, kicked a police officer in the groin and spit on other assisting officers.
Some of the passengers had to intervene and restrain the man before he was handcuffed and taken off the aircraft.
According to an agent, Fagiana said that he didn’t have any recollection of the flight, but ‘admitted he had drunk some Captain Morgans’ — a brand of rum — at bars before the flight, the Associated Press reported.
He faces charges of interfering with a flight crew. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
Fagiana is scheduled to make his first appearance in federal court on Monday
Agents are seen approaching the unruly passenger identified as Keith Edwards Fagiana after the pilots had to make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas
The passenger had punched the flight attendant in the face and allegedly kicked one of the police officers in the groin
According to a flight attendant, a passenger on the plane had complained that Fagiana was kicking their seat in a very aggressive manner.
When the male flight attendant approached the passenger and asked him to stop, the man became violent.
He reportedly cussed before punching the flight attendant in the stomach and then continued to hit him at least three times, the news outlet reported.
Another passenger taking footage of the harrowing event captured the flight attendant yelling at Fagiana: ‘Stop, stop, stop. What the (expletive) are you doing?’
She also said he was banging his head on the plane of the window, ABC 7 News reported.
During the ordeal, some of the passengers jumped in and tried to restrain the man as the flight attendant placed flex cuffs onto Fagiana before the plane landed.
Fagiana also spit on some of the assisting officers as they hauled him off the aircraft during the harrowing ordeal that happened on Wednesday afternoon
Keith Edward Fagiana (pictured) faces charges of interfering with a flight crew. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison