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Passengers on an American Airlines flight intervened after a man traveling in first class reportedly became violent towards his female travel companion.
Footage from the incident shared on social media showed several passengers and stewards gathered around the front row seats of the aircraft, which was traveling from Florida to North Carolina on Wednesday.
The incident is the latest in bad behavior on planes, with videos of the interactions often going viral.
In the video, three men leaned over the seat to confront the man, with one shouting “Do not f***** touch her.” The man seems to protest before another man responds “I don’t give a f***.
“Look at me, you f***** up… Get your f****** hands off of her right now,” he yelled. “You touch her again, you’re gonna get f****** arrested.”
It is not clear what prompted the altercation between the two travelers, but the woman is heard to claim that she put her hand over the man’s mouth to stop him from talking.
The woman is asked by other passengers if she is alright before being told to move to an empty seat away from the man.
The alleged aggressor loudly protests that he was assaulted by the woman and claims that she slapped him, according to the footage.
“No, you weren’t assaulted,” the woman responds. “I put my hand over your mouth to make you shut up.”
The flight – from Miami to Charlotte – reportedly landed 26 minutes early and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officers were waiting at the airport.
Pictures showed officers entering the cabin before passengers deplaned. The names of the people involved have not been released. It’s unclear if any charges were filed.
The officers escorted the pair off the plane and then collected witness accounts from fellow passengers, according to American Airlines.
“Our first priority is the safety of the crew and our customers, and we take these matters very seriously,” American Airlines said in a statement on X.
A spokesperson for the company later added: “Two customers traveling together were engaged in an altercation aboard American Airlines flight 310, with service from Miami (MIA) to Charlotte (CLT) on Oct. 2.
“Local law enforcement responded and escorted the customers from the CLT airport. We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation.”
The Independent has reached out to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg police department for comment.
