A group of passengers sprung into action and stopped a man who allegedly tried to open the cabin door mid-flight during a trip to Dallas Tuesday morning by restraining him with duct tape, officials said.
The incident took place on an American Airlines flight 1915 from Milwaukee when the Canadian national allegedly approached a flight attendant and asked to open the cabin door while they were in flight and grew more agitated when he was denied, according to the report issued by Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety.
The suspected allegedly tried to rush towards the door, striking the flight attendant who was blocking it, according to the report.
FILE – American Airlines planes sit at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on June 16, 2018, in Grapevine, Texas.
AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File
Passengers rushed to assist the flight attendant and tried to subdue the unruly passenger who allegedly kept asking to leave the plane, the report said. A flight attendant handed the passengers duct tape as they restrained him, according to the report.
They were able to tape up his wrists and ankles and lay him on his belly for the remainder of the flight, the report said.
Airport police and the FBI detained the man, put him in a wheelchair and took him off the flight for a medical evaluation, according to the report and the FBI.
No arrests have been made as of Wednesday evening and the investigation is ongoing, officials said.
The flight attendant who was confronted by the passenger was taken to the hospital for treatment after she said her wrist and neck were injured during the altercation, according to the report.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it’s investigating the incident.
A spokesperson for American Airlines deferred questions about the incident to law enforcement.
“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,” the airline said in a statement.
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