Passenger who allegedly punched a flight attendant charged
A California man was charged after he allegedly punched a flight attendant in the back of the head on an American Airlines flight. Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, of Westminster, California, is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, which carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
Le was a passenger on American Airlines flight 377 traveling from San José del Cabo, Mexico, to Los Angeles International Airport on September 21. According to an affidavit from an FBI special agent supporting the complaint, confrontation on the flight began when Le got up from his seat and asked for coffee during beverage service, grabbing one flight attendant by the shoulders.
The affidavit says another flight attendant who approached Le was confronted with "a fighting stance." When that attendant turned toward the front of plane to report Le's behavior to the pilot, Le rushed toward the attendant and punched him in the back of the head. That act was caught by a passenger on video, which the affidavit cites in noting that Le "used a closed fist to strike the flight attendant."
Video posted on social media shows an individual approach a flight attendant toward the front of the plane and proceed to punch the flight attendant. An audible gasp could be heard from passengers who witnessed the incident.
As Le fled toward the back of the plane, passengers apprehended him and he was restrained with flex cuffs provided by a flight attendant. Le was ultimately moved away from the aisle and further restrained, yet he "continuously unbuckled his seatbelt, causing flight attendants to restrain him to the seat with seatbelt extenders."
The flight attendant who was punched remained in the back galley of the plane with ice on his head for the rest of the flight, the affidavit said, and was transported to a hospital upon landing. Another flight attendant "was shaking so much that she had difficulty performing her duties," and "stated the flight was 'the longest hour and 58 minutes of my life.”
Earlier this year, Kelly Pichardo, a New York City woman and Leeza S. Rodriguez, interfered by assaulting a crew member while the aircraft was in flight. This incident which occurred aboard a February 2021 American Airlines flight from Dallas to Los Angeles prompted the flight to reroute to Phoenix so that the two could be removed from the plane. They were traveling in first class.
Pichardo was recently sentenced to 4 months in prison. She also received 36 months of supervised release and was ordered to pay $9,123 restitution to American Airlines. The co-defendant, Leeza S. Rodriguez, is scheduled to be sentenced in November pursuant to her guilty plea.
Source: CNN Travel
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