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A United Airlines flight from Austin to Los Angeles turned chaotic on November 16th when a passenger went into a violent outburst. The disturbing scene, captured on video by fellow traveler Gino Galofaro, showed the man repeatedly kicking the seat cushion and smashing the tray table.

Galofaro, who is the founder of Hope Interventions, a Southern California substance abuse recovery organization, began recording the incident. He said he was shocked when the flight attendant passed by without intervening.

“I watched the flight attendant walk by and do nothing,” Galofaro told ABC7. “Nobody on the plane was doing anything. So I got up and proceeded to restrain him.”

As the situation escalated, Galofaro worked with other passengers to restrain the disruptive individual. “Two other bystanders were getting zip ties from the flight attendant,” he added. “We had to restrain him with zip ties and then seatbelt him to the seat.” Galofaro believes the passenger was likely under the influence of drugs, though United Airlines did not confirm this.

Upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), law enforcement authorities met the plane. The unruly passenger was detained, and United Airlines confirmed it banned the man from future flights with the airline.

Per the FAA, unruly passengers face up to $37,000 in fines per violation plus criminal prosecution, including jail time.

The FAA encourages passengers to report any disturbances, and it’s generally best for flight attendants or law enforcement to handle such situations. However, since the crew didn’t seem to immediately address the outburst, the incident above raised concerns on social media.

Commenters wondered why the flight attendant did not act sooner. Others questioned the absence of an air marshal on board. Yet others mentioned concern about any ramifications the passengers getting involved may face, including legal issues. The conversations certainly left the lines a bit blurred when it comes to handling a dangerously unruly passenger.

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Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kennedy

Sarah Kennedy joined the MotorBiscuit team as managing editor in 2021 and brings with her a bevy of automotive expertise. She’s an ASE-Certified Automotive Service Consultant and licensed car salesperson with over a decade of shop operations experience.

Sarah was the creator of “Shop Smarts” for MOTOR Magazine and was a contributor from 2013 to 2020. Her work earned her a Gold Medalist award from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2014 and Bronze Medalist awards from the International Automotive Media Competition in 2014 and 2015.

She has attended the Automotive Management Institute and earned her bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University.