Passengers on an American Airlines flight helped restrain a man who had beaten a crew member and handed him over to authorities upon arrival at Los Angeles airport.
The Insider newspaper quoted a Justice Department statement as saying that passengers helped the crew of the flight, which was heading to Los Angeles Airport, control and handcuff a 33-year-old passenger, Alexander Tong Ko Lee, after they witnessed him beating a flight attendant. .
According to the statement, Lee began behaving unusually shortly after the flight took off from Los Cabos, Mexico, as he moved away from his seat and made gestures that implied threats of violence toward the cabin crew. Lee was then seen hitting his host harshly.
The Justice Department said the passenger was charged with interfering with flight crew members and flight attendants, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in a federal prison.