Los Angeles police have arrested a California man for assaulting an American Airlines worker. The bizarre incident occurred on Wednesday when on an AA flight from San José del Cabo, Mexico to Los Angeles.

The suspect, Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, was arrested by FBI officers at the Los Angeles airport shortly after the plane landed. If convicted, he may face up to 20 years behind bars for interfering with flight crew attendants.

According to the charge sheet, the confrontation started shortly after the plane took off, when the accused approached a female attendant, and grabbed her by the shoulders while asking for coffee. A few minutes later, the passenger grabbed her by both shoulders and she stepped back and put her hands up in a defensive manner, the documents read in part.

Le left his seat and flopped himself down on a seat near the bulkhead separating the business and economy class sections. One of the male flight attendants asked him to return to his seat, but to everyone’s surprise, the passenger assumed a fighting position and swung at the attendant. When the flight attendant turned to walk away, Le rushed towards him and punched him at the back of his head. In response, other passengers got involved and helped to restrain him.

Le was then moved to another row, where he was handcuffed and restrained.

In a statement to the press, American Airlines condemned the shameful act and praised their staff for acting professionally. They emphasized that acts of violence against their staff are not tolerated. They confirmed that the man has been banned from flying with American Airlines in the future. 

Although no official report has been made by the FBI, the office of the attorney in Central California confirmed that the passenger was arrested. The office added that the FBI is working with the federal prosecutor to hasten the case.

The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, representing more than 24,000 flight attendants, criticized the attacker. According to the association’s president, Julie Hedrick, the attack was dangerous and threatened the flight crew’s life.

Such attacks in the airline industry have increased dramatically in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, when flight attendants had to make face masks mandatory. The Federal Aviation Administration received 5,981 reports of unruly passenger behavior last year. They have so far investigated 1,113 reports, enforcing action in 350 cases.

Le was charged Thursday with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants, the Department of Justice said.

Although Le won’t be allowed to board any American Airlines flights in the future, it remains unclear if this ban will apply to all airlines if he is found guilty. 

In any case, it doesn’t look like he will be traveling anywhere in the near future.