Staff Report
A man from Texas was arrested for allegedly attacking a flight attendant and a passenger during an American Airlines flight, according to ABC News.
The suspect, Asterius Mutayoba Rulamka, reportedly shouted at a flight attendant using foul language, hit a passenger who was recording the incident, and tried to punch the flight attendant. The flight attendant managed to dodge the punch but broke a fingernail. Several passengers recorded the altercation.
During the incident, Rulamka took off a passenger’s hat and glasses, hitting them in the face near the left eye. This caused bruising and a bloodshot eye, ABC News reported.
Three passengers and a flight attendant restrained Rulamka until the plane landed. The suspect allegedly said he wanted to meet U.S. President Donald Trump and expressed anger over something the president did.
Rulamka is now facing assault charges, according to ABC News.
American Airlines confirmed the incident, saying law enforcement met American Eagle flight 5574 when it arrived in Washington, D.C. on March 5 due to the disruptive passenger. The airline emphasized they do not tolerate violence and praised their crew for handling the situation professionally.
Interestingly, this flight took the same route as a tragic crash in January involving a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people. Flight 5574 was traveling from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., and landed at 8:43 p.m., 13 minutes ahead of schedule, according to FlightAware.
