Passenger punches flight attendant on American Airlines flight

NEW YORK — An American Airlines formation from New York to California was diverted to Denver aft a rider assaulted a formation attendant, authorities said.

Flight 976 was heading Wednesday from John F. Kennedy International Airport to John Wayne Airport successful Santa Ana erstwhile it landed astatine Denver International Airport and taxied safely to the gate.

The rider was removed, the hose said, and the formation continued connected to California. The formation attendant was reportedly taken to a hospital, but details connected her information weren’t instantly released.

“We are outraged by the reports of what took spot connected board. Acts of unit against our squad members are not tolerated by American Airlines,” the Fort Worth, Texas-based hose said successful statement.

The rider volition beryllium banned from American Airlines flights, the hose said, but “we volition not beryllium satisfied until helium has been prosecuted to the afloat grade of the law. This behaviour indispensable stop.”

Mackenzie Rose, different rider connected the flight, told CBS Los Angeles that the formation attendant was assaulted astir halfway done the trip, erstwhile the level was implicit Ohio.

“I recognize that helium really punched her twice,” Rose said aft landing successful Santa Ana. “I did spot her locomotion backmost down the aisle afterwards. She had humor splattered connected the extracurricular of her mask.”

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

The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office successful Colorado said they were investigating. No arrests had been made arsenic of Thursday, FBI spokesperson Courtney Bernal said.

“The United States Attorney’s Office takes earnestly each matters involving imaginable threats to the information of hose flights, unit oregon passengers,” the bureau said successful a statement.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate, arsenic well.