Video is going viral after a man was duct-taped to a seat on an American Airlines flight for alleged unruly behavior and later arrested. According to the Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA), flight attendants bound Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona, to a seat with duct tape and restrained his hands with zip ties and more duct tape.
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The incident occurred on Thursday night (September 3) on American Airlines flight AA 618, from Dallas, Texas to Newark, New Jersey. However, FBI and AA said officials diverted the flight to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) around 10:15 p.m. after Lundeen disturbed the flight.
According to ABC News, Juan Mejia, a passenger and a former law enforcement officer, said the disruption happened about three quarters of the way into the flight. Mejia said:
“[The] gentleman sitting two rows behind us started becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers, racial slurs, vulgar language, very offensive to the women [sitting in the row behind the man].”
Mejia said he and a friend, Richard Olenick, began monitoring the situation and intervened when Lundeen alleged became physical. Olenick said:
“Juan immediately knew that action had to be taken. He got up right away and jumped in the seat right next to the passenger and began working on restraining him in order to keep the situation contained.”
Mejia and Olenick said upon arrival in Baltimore, Maryland, they remained on the flight with Lundeen. They waited until law enforcement officials arrived. Once officers boarded, officials took Lundeen into custody and removed him from the plane. The flight then continued to Newark.
The MDTA Police said they charged Lundeen with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault “for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at BWI Airport.” Their statement added:
“Lundeen was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm that was noticed by officers while being taken into custody.”
Meanwhile, the airline added:
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence.” The FBI is currently investigating the incident since it took place in the air.
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