A Washington, D.C. man has been arrested after a mid-air meltdown on a United Airlines flight which saw him strip down and assault several flight attendants and crew members, the Justice Department reported.
Kedus Yacob Damtew, 38, has been charged with a single count of interference by assault or intimidation following his bizarre tirade, in which he allegedly ripped his shirt off and “pushed his bare chest” into a flight attendant before “pinning” the crew member “against the aircraft exit door.” The incident occurred just before the plane, headed from Houston, began its descent to Newark’s Liberty Airport on June 12.
The female flight attendant was able to escape Damtew’s grasp, but he allegedly continued to chase her around the aircraft shouting “epithets and threats of physical violence,” according to the department. He then “punched an aircraft oven” and “followed the same flight attendant to the rear of the aircraft, where he continued to shout threats and epithets and threw a cup of water” at her. “Another flight attendant requested assistance over the airplane’s public address system, prompting several passengers to assist in securing Damtew in flex cuffs in the last row of the plane until the flight landed at Newark.”
The charge Damtew faces carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. It’s unclear when his next court appearance will be. “The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty,” the Justice Department concluded their statement.
