Passengers on an American Airlines plane helped restrain a man after he punched a flight attendant in the head.
According to a Department of Justice news release, passengers on the flight to Los Angeles helped to arrest Alexander Tung Cuu Le after he hit the flight attendant.
Le's hands and legs were cuffed after he was moved to another row over safety concerns. Crew members restrained him with seatbelt extenders after he unbuckled his seatbelt.
A man from Orange County, California was taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation after he landed at Los Angeles International Airport.
The maximum sentence for interfering with flight crew members and attendants is 20 years in federal prison.
He appeared in court in Los Angeles on Thursday but the matter was adjourned until Monday for a hearing and he remained in custody.
According to the DoJ release, Le began to act erratically shortly after leaving Los Cabos in Mexico, loitering away from his seat and making gestures towards the crew that were seen as threats of violence.
After attacking the flight attendant, Le fled towards the back of the plane, where he was caught by several passengers near an exit row, according to the DoJ.
The flight attendant was taken to the hospital after the flight landed because they were unable to carry out their normal duties.
The crew of AA 377 had to concentrate on restraining Le, which interfered with their duties and reduced their ability to provide service to over 100 passengers.
The crew was still worried about Le's behavior after he was restrained. The flight attendant stated that the flight was the longest hour and 58 minutes of her life, according to the affidavit.
Le wasn't allowed to fly with American Airlines.
The individual involved in this incident will not be allowed to travel with us in the future, and we will work closely with law enforcement in their investigation.
American Airlines did not reply to Insider's request for more information.
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