An American Airlines passenger who punched a flight attendant so hard that he gave her a concussion is now suing a Manhattan street vendor he insists is at least partially responsible for causing his brutal behavior.
Brian Hsu, 23, was duct-taped to his business-class seat following the unprovoked October 2021 attack, which forced AA flight 976 to divert to Denver on its way from New York City to Santa Ana, California, spurring Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to float the possibility of a federal no-fly list. Bystander footage of the shocking event went viral, and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker described the incident — during which the victim flight attendant’s nose was also shattered — as “one of the worst” incidents seen to date aboard a commercial aircraft.
