A passenger disturbance on American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday caused the plane’s crew to decide to divert to Baltimore-Washington International. During the flight, a passenger in first class became belligerent.
CNN reported that passenger Richard Olenick said that a flight attendant tried to control the situation, but the man became agitated and started to hit the passenger next to him. The unruly passenger also hit a woman who tried to intervene, Olenick said. The passenger also used racial and homophobic slurs.
Olenick and Juan Mejia (a retired police officer) then attempted to help the crew with the situation, but the passenger then bit Mejia and tried to bite Olenick. A flight attendant provided zip ties and duct tape to the men, who then secured the passenger to a seat with the tape.
In a statement, the airline said, “On September 3, American Airlines flight 618 diverted to Baltimore (BWI) due to a disruptive customer. 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.”
Upon landing at BWI, officers boarded the plane and took the passenger into custody, charging him with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault. The plane then continued on to Newark with the other passengers.
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