Man indicted for mid-flight assault that prompted duct tape restraints, emergency landing at BWI Airport
Arizona man indicted for assault on American Airlines flight
An Arizona man was indicted for an assault on an American Airlines flight that prompted an emergency landing at BWI Airport.
BETHESDA, Md. - An Arizona man was indicted for a mid-flight outburst that prompted passengers to restrain him and pilots to make an unscheduled emergency landing at BWI Airport in Maryland.
What we know:
Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, Arizona, was charged with interfering with flight crew members and assault by striking, beating and wounding, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Maryland.
The chaos broke out nearly two hours into a September 3 flight from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey. According to charging documents, Lundeen interfered with flight attendants and crew members by intimidating them as they attempted to perform their duties.
Court documents further allege that he ignored crew instructions, directed abusive language and racial slurs at the flight crew and displayed hostile behavior toward both crew and travelers.
Fellow passengers who spoke to FOX 10 Phoenix said that Lundeen hurled racial and homophobic slurs, attacked his seatmate and bit rescuers. The verbal abuse turned physical when Lundeen allegedly grabbed the passenger sitting next to him by the neck and began strangling him.
When a woman stepped in to help, Lundeen struck her, prompting two travelers to rush down the aisle to assist.
Local store manager Richard Olenick was flying home from a work convention with coworker and retired police officer Juan Mejia when they witnessed the violence.
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What they're saying:
"Everything was fine, until it wasn't," Olenick said.
Mejia pulled the victim to safety while Olenick squeezed between the seats to restrain Lundeen.
Olenick said Lundeen fought back, leaving visible bite marks on Mejia. Flight attendants provided zip ties and rolls of duct tape to help restrain him.
Mejia wrapped duct tape around Lundeen's chest, arms, hands and head, binding him to his seat, Olenick said.
The altercation forced the plane to make an unscheduled emergency landing in Baltimore, where Lundeen was arrested by Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
During a hearing in September, Lundeen told a judge that he did not remember any of what happened.
Dig deeper:
Lundeen, who was employed as a real estate agent, was fired immediately by Long Realty. In a public statement, the company said the agent's actions were "wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others" expected from its team.
American Airlines commended the crew and passengers for their swift intervention, saying "the safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority, and we do not tolerate violence."
If convicted, Lundeen faces a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison for interfering with flight crew members and up to one year for assault.
The Source: Information in this article is from the U.S. Attorney's Office for Maryland.