(Photo by COOPER NEILL/AFP via Getty Images)
DALLAS – Passengers came together to restrain a disruptive passenger to a seat on a flight from Milwaukee to Dallas–Fort Worth on Tuesday after he tried to open a plane door while it was in the air.
An American Airlines flight attendant told police that a man with a Canadian passport got up in the middle of the flight and told her that he “needed to exit the plane immediately.”
The man began to get louder and more agitated before rushing the 79-year-old flight attendant in an attempt to get to the cabin door.
Three passengers rushed to help the flight attendant and worked to pin down the man. They then used restraint tape on his wrists and legs.
The plane landed at DFW Airport shortly after 10 a.m.
DFW Airport Police and the FBI boarded the plane as soon as it landed.
A passenger was still kneeling on the disruptive passenger when law enforcement arrived.
The man was taken away in a wheelchair for a mental evaluation.
The flight attendant injured her wrist and neck during the altercation, and had to be transported to the hospital. She has since been released.
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we thank our team members and customers for managing a difficult situation,” said American Airlines in a statement.
The FBI says the passenger has not been charged at this time.