An Alaska Airlines flight attendant was seen restraining a crazed passenger who grabbed a woman’s hair onboard.
The strange incident occurred on February 1 on Alaska Airlines Flight 2221 at California’s Oakland International Airport just before departing for Portland, Oregon.
The disruptive male passenger, described as having short gray hair and glasses, was witnessed being restrained by an unidentified male flight attendant after he grabbed onto the hair of a woman seated in front of him.
As the flight attendant attempted to free the woman by striking the man multiple times, fellow passengers also intervened to assist in resolving the situation.
The unnamed woman with long black hair eventually stood up and walked away as the flight attendant kept his hand on the man’s shoulder while he shrieked loudly.
It is unclear exactly what sparked the male passenger’s abnormal behavior, but according to a man who said he was on the flight, ‘he was restrained for several minutes before being arrested’.
The aircraft returned to the gate following the incident and the flight itself was cancelled ‘after an attendant refused to fly and could not be replaced’, the passenger said.
Alaska Airlines told DailyMail.com that the male passenger ‘appeared to be experiencing a violent medical episode that involved an ongoing physical assault against other passengers and our crew’.
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant restrained and repeatedly punched a male passenger who grabbed a female flyer’s hair while onboard a flight on February 1
‘Our flight attendants’ highest responsibility is the safety of guests and crew on board. Our crew responded to this chaotic situation quickly and kept all guests safe until law enforcement could intervene,’ the airline said, adding that the ‘guest in question has been banned from Alaska and Horizon due to the nature of the physical assault’.
The video began with the unnamed flight attendant repeatedly striking the male passenger in the throat area as his other hand pushed the man’s head to the side.
While he did so, the passenger’s hand was seen tightly latched on to the woman’s hair as she said: ‘Let go of my hair sir!’
Another male passenger then leaned into the seat where the crazed man was sitting and tried to help the flight attendant control him while the unruly passenger continued to hold on to the woman’s hair.
The flight attendant then told the woman to get out of her seat as he pushed the man towards the window, knocking his glasses off his head.
As the woman stood up, the deranged passenger started to scream loudly in his seat, rocking back and forth.
The flight attendant kept his hand on the man’s shoulder as he turned to other passengers and said: ‘I need another – people wanting to come help me.’
The man who posted the video said: ‘We were about to take off from OAK to PDX but this dude started saying weird stuff and rocking back and forth.
‘A flight attendant was called then he grabbed the woman’s hair in front of him and wouldn’t let go, so the flight attendant started punching him in the throat.
‘He was restrained for several minutes before being arrested. The flight was cancelled after an attendant refused to fly and could not be replaced. I [sic] lady said he said he was an alcoholic on five medications before he started repeating himself and glitching out.
A woman claiming to be the one who got her hair pulled said: ‘Thank you for this video. I am the woman whose hair was grabbed. My hair was not in anyone’s way to provoke anyone to grab it.
‘The man was having a psychotic episode, banged his head multiple times on the back of my seat, shortly lost consciousness, regained consciousness and grabbed my hair close to the scalp.
‘Had I leaned forward with him grabbing my hair, he could have pulled my hair out. I was afraid this man was going to punch me in the head and I am thankful for the FA and other passengers who stepped in to help.’
Other online users reacted to the bizarre incident, with one saying: ‘I just stay home these days.’
The unnamed employee tried to hold the man back before telling the woman to get up and walk way (pictured)
‘Wow! This is very scary and sad to see,’ wrote another.
Many users also praised the flight attendant for stepping in and made sure that the woman was safe afterward.
‘Flight attendants don’t get paid nearly enough,’ someone wrote.
‘God bless the flight attendant,’ another said.
‘Wow!, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. I wish you a speedy recovery,’ another said to the female passenger involved.
‘So sorry you went through that. I can’t imagine how scary that was. Glad you’re okay,’ wrote another.
