An Alaska Airlines flight attendant was forced to take decisive action against an unruly passenger who grabbed a female traveler’s hair during a chaotic incident aboard Flight 2221 at Oakland International Airport on February 1.
The incident, captured on video, shows a male passenger with short gray hair and glasses being restrained by a male flight attendant after latching onto the long black hair of a woman seated in front of him. The crew member can be seen repeatedly striking the man’s throat area while attempting to make him release his grip.
“Let go of my hair sir!” the woman can be heard saying as other passengers attempted to assist in controlling the situation.
The flight attendant eventually managed to push the man toward the window, causing his glasses to fall off, while directing the woman to leave her seat. After she was freed, the passenger began shrieking loudly and rocking back and forth in his seat.
“I need another – people wanting to come help me,” the flight attendant called out to fellow passengers.
The woman involved later provided context to the incident: “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,” she explained. “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.”
Alaska Airlines confirmed to DailyMail.com that the passenger “appeared to be experiencing a violent medical episode that involved an ongoing physical assault against other passengers and our crew.”
The flight was ultimately cancelled after a crew member was unable to continue and could not be replaced. The airline stated that “our flight attendants’ highest responsibility is the safety of guests and crew on board” and confirmed the passenger has been banned from both Alaska and Horizon airlines.
Social media users praised the flight attendant’s quick response, with one commenting, “Flight attendants don’t get paid nearly enough,” and another saying, “God bless the flight attendant.”
The incident occurred just before takeoff on a flight bound for Portland, Oregon. Law enforcement intervened following the altercation.
