It took several people to restrain the young boy
A teenage boy had to be restrained by fellow passengers and flight attendants after he had a tantrum and attempted to kick the window of the plane out mid-flight.
The unidentified 13-year-old is believed to have scrapped with his mother on the flight from Maui to Los Angeles on Tuesday, before turning his aggression elsewhere. He was then duct-taped to his chair.
American Airlines spokesperson Laura Masvidal confirmed to the New York Post (NYP) that the flight had to be diverted to Honolulu, but did not elaborate on what had happened or provide further details about the boy and his family.
You can see the incident unfold in the video below:
The airline denied that duct tape was used during the incident – saying that ‘”flex cuffs” were used instead – but a male flight attendant can be seen walking down the aisle with tape, before using it on the teen.
“Safety and security is our top priority and we apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this caused,” Masvidal added.
Flashpoints like this have become of particular concern in the post-Covid, mask-wearing era.
Just last week, another passenger identified as Max Berry also had to be taped down to his chair after groping flight attendants and punching another. The man who defused the situation – Alfredo Rivera – has gone on to become a viral sensation.
Alfredo Rivera’s Pulitzer is already in the post pic.twitter.com/DnSt53bOSM
— Oli Dugmore (@OliDugmore) August 6, 2021
In early July, another woman had to be forcibly tied down after attacking staff and other passengers on board the plane.
You can see the video, also shared by the NYP, below; the woman also went on to try and open the “forward boarding door” – another extremely dangerous scenario.
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