Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, of Westminster, was charged with one count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants, the Justice Department announced Thursday. The incident occurred on American Airlines Flight 377l, which was scheduled to land at Los Angeles International Airport after taking off from Cabo San Lucas. NOTE: The video above is from a previous report on Le’s initial arrest. Video of the mid-air attack shows the passenger punching the flight attendant in the back of the head while on the runway. A 30-second video posted on social media showed the flight attendant appearing to speak to the passenger before turning his back. The suspect then walks up to the attendant and punches him before walking away. The Justice Department said several passengers arrested Le near an exit row. He was then taken to a different row while his hands and feet were tied. “Le continually unbuckled his seat belt, causing the flight attendants to restrain him in the seat with a belt extender,” the DOJ said in a statement. Footage captured the surprised reaction of the other passengers on the plane. A passenger on the plane told Eyewitness News that the flight attendant did not appear to be seriously injured and no one else on the flight was injured. The witness, named Kevin, added that the suspect was restrained by other passengers and his hands were tied with zip ties. Before the attack, Kevin said the suspect began whispering and said, “There are 10 killers on the plane.” “About that time, the female flight attendant heard it and ran him back to the coach. He sat there for a while and then the male flight attendant came back there and confronted the guy,” Kevin said. “The part of the video that you see where he gets hit in the back of the head is he turns around, goes back to the front of the plane and the guy just jumped out and hit him.” American Airlines said in a statement about the attack that acts of violence against crew members will not be tolerated. “The person involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with us in the future and we will be working closely with law enforcement in their investigation,” the statement said. “We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism in ensuring the safety of their fellow crew members and customers on board the aircraft. Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and we are ensuring that they and the other crew members have the support they need right now.” Le is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, according to the DOJ. Want to read this article in Spanish? Click here. Copyright © 2022 KABC Television, LLC. All rights reserved.
