California man charged, accused of punching flight attendant

DENVER — A 20-year-old California antheral accused of assaulting a formation attendant connected a cross-country American Airlines flight allegedly punched the pistillate successful the look aft being told helium could not usage the bathroom, leaving her bleeding astir her chemoreceptor and giving her a concussion, according to a tribunal document.

Prosecutors announced Monday that Brian Hsu, 20, of Irvine was charged with battle and interfering with a formation unit connected a formation past week from John F. Kennedy International Airport successful New York to John Wayne Airport successful Santa Ana, California.

He appeared successful national tribunal successful California Monday and was released connected a $10,000 bond. He was ordered to look successful national tribunal successful Denver, wherever the formation was diverted aft the alleged assault, connected Nov. 15.

It was not known if Hsu had an lawyer who could remark connected his behalf.

According to an affidavit from an FBI cause who investigated the incident, 4 witnesses and the formation attendant, who was not named, said Hsu punched the attendant connected Wednesday’s flight. Meanwhile, Hsu, who said helium was returning location aft undergoing encephalon country successful Rhode Island, told investigators that the attendant charged astatine him, hitting her chemoreceptor connected his palm.

Hsu said that, portion stretching, helium accidentally deed the formation attendant with his limb oregon manus and she began swinging astatine him with her hands. Fearing she was going to deed him successful the head, helium raised his hands defensively, helium said. According to Hsu, the attendant past charged astatine him, hitting his palm. Hsu said helium suffered a skull wounded successful New York City past autumn and sometimes experiences a intelligence “fog” erstwhile reasoning is difficult, the papers said.

The attendant told investigators that she was talking to a coworker erstwhile she felt thing deed her caput and turned astir to spot Hsu, who said helium wanted to usage the bathroom, the papers said.

She said she told him helium could not due to the fact that the “fasten seatbelts” motion was on. He past raised his arms arsenic if to agelong and deed her caput with his elbow, causing her to enactment her arms retired and her hands up to support herself, she said, according to the document. After helium appeared to backmost down, she said helium charged astatine her and punched her with his close hand.

Hsu, who was aboriginal restrained successful his spot with duct portion and past “plastic bonds,” told investigators that helium could not signifier a fist with his close manus due to the fact that of an injury, the papers said.

The alleged battle comes amid a surge this twelvemonth successful unruly hose passengers, who sometimes go violent.

At the time, Fort Worth, Texas-based American said the passenger, not publically identified then, would beryllium banned from each aboriginal flights. It besides called for his prosecution. “This behaviour indispensable stop,” the hose said.

The caput of the national representing the airline’s formation attendants, the Association of Flight Attendants, praised the determination to record charges against Hsu arsenic a mode to assistance deter verbal and carnal maltreatment connected flights. However, Sara Nelson besides asked the national government, airlines and airports to bash much to clasp disruptive passengers accountable, including creating a database of radical barred from flying connected immoderate airline.

“This is not a caller mean we are consenting to accept,” Nelson said.