ORANGE COUNTY, Calif. (NBC) – An American Airlines flight was diverted to Denver Wednesday night after a flight attendant was assaulted by a passenger.
When the flight finally arrived in California, passengers talked about the incident saying they heard that the passenger punched the flight attendant after an argument over wearing a mask and that she was bleeding heavily.
Passenger Makenzie Rose said, “It seemed like the man that punched the woman just kind of knew that he had done something wrong and like became subdued. I understand that he actually punched her twice. I did see her walk back down the aisle afterward. She had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.”
The passenger was duct-taped to his seat before being taken into custody in Denver.
American Airlines released a statement on the incident saying, “We will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This behavior must stop, and aggressive enforcement and prosecution of the law is the best deterrent.”
As of Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 4,941 reports of unruly passenger behavior, including 3,580 mask-related incidents.
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