American Airlines flight AA 618 was diverted to Baltimore after a disturbance in the cabin, and Arthur Lundeen was arrested when the plane landed around 10:15 p.m. The 67-year-old from Arizona had been restrained to his seat with duct tape and had his hands held with zip ties before Maryland Transportation Authority Police took him into custody.
The flight had taken off from Dallas and was headed for Newark when the disruption broke out Thursday night. That is why the story is being searched now: a routine domestic flight turned into an emergency stop, and a restraint method usually associated with ground security became part of the cabin response.
Juan Mejia said the trouble began about three quarters of the way into the flight, when the passenger became belligerent and started making derogatory remarks to American Airlines staff and other passengers. Mejia said the man used racial slurs and vulgar language, while Richard Olenick said Mejia immediately moved to help contain the situation and stay with the passenger until law enforcement boarded.
Mejia said the passenger became physical, but authorities did not spell out exactly what happened in the moments before the restraint. That gap matters, because the decision to use duct tape and zip ties suggests the crew and passengers were trying to immobilize him quickly with whatever was available, not to punish him, and the line between control and force is now at the center of the case.
Lundeen was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at Baltimore Washington International Airport, and the FBI said its investigation is ongoing. American Airlines said the flight continued to Newark after he was removed, leaving the incident to be sorted out on the ground after the cabin had already been forced into its most extraordinary moment.
