A passenger on an American Airlines flight to Minneapolis from Los Angeles reportedly tried to open one of the plane’s exit doors while the flight was in the air.
Passenger Richard Munassi said passengers began ‘yelling and screaming’ during the flight on Saturday as they tried to subdue the man, who has not been publicly identified.
‘There was a lot of yelling and screaming. I thought perhaps two of the passengers had gotten into maybe a fist fight,’ he told WCCO.
Munassi said he was still unaware of what was happening until the pilot of the flight spoke on the plane’s intercom system.
A passenger on an American Airlines flight to Minneapolis from Los Angeles on Saturday was arrested after he reportedly tried to open one of the plane’s exit doors while the flight was in the air
Passenger Richard Munassi said passengers began ‘yelling and screaming’ during the flight on Saturday as they tried to subdue the man (above in sunglasses being taken off the plane)
Once the plane landed at Minneapolis – St. Paul Airport, Munassi recorded cell phone video showing police officers taking the man, who sported sunglasses and a hoodie, off the plane
‘It wasn’t immediately after (the pilot) letting us know that we were in descent. It was a couple of minutes afterward, so he had a plan to open that door as we were getting close to the ground,’ Munassi said.
Fellow passenger, Salman Elmi, said that it was a ‘crazy experience’ as he watched people subdue the man while reaching for the door handle.
‘It was a crazy experience. I just hear shouting, ‘I’m about to punch him,” Elmi said of the passengers who were trying to stop the man.
Munassi said that the pilot told everyone to put their seatbelts back on as they were preparing to land with the man strapped down in one of the seats.
Of the incident, Munassi (above) said: ‘Honestly, I’m just happy that I’m here today and nothing happened to our flight and I’m happy to be here’
‘We came in hot, probably the hottest landing I’ve ever been on and I fly all the time,’ Munassi said.
‘Everyone was dead quiet on the flight. You could cut the tension with a knife.’
Once the plane landed at Minneapolis – St. Paul Airport, Munassi recorded cell phone video showing police officers taking the man, who sported sunglasses and a hoodie, off the plane.
Munassi said the man was calm and did not say anything while the police escorted him off in handcuffs.
Elmi and Munassi both said that the American Airlines flight crew handled the situation well.
It’s unclear what charges the man faces for the incident on the American Airlines flight from Los Angeles (file above), but the investigation has been turned over to the FBI
‘I think American Airlines did a great job, especially the pilot of the plane kind of keeping everything in order and keeping everyone calm,’ said Munassi.
‘Honestly, I’m just happy that I’m here today and nothing happened to our flight and I’m happy to be here.’
It’s unclear what charges the man faces, but the investigation has been turned over to the FBI, WCCO reported.
DailyMail.com has requested comment from American Airlines.