BALTIMORE — An Arizona man was arrested Thursday night after alleged unruly behavior aboard an American Airlines flight forced the plane to divert to Baltimore, according to the airline and investigators.
Arthur Lundeen, 67, was taken into custody by Maryland Transportation Authority Police after the aircraft landed. Police said Lundeen had been restrained to his seat with duct tape, while his hands were secured with zip ties.
The disturbance unfolded on American Airlines Flight AA 618, which had departed Dallas and was headed to Newark, the FBI and the airline said.
Juan Mejia, a passenger on the flight and a former law enforcement officer, told ABC that he started hearing a commotion about three-quarters of the way through the trip.
“[The] gentleman sitting two rows behind us started becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers, racial slurs, vulgar language, very offensive to the women” seated in the row behind him, Mejia said.
Mejia and fellow passenger Richard Olenick told ABC they kept watch as the situation escalated and stepped in after they said Lundeen became physical.
“Juan immediately knew that action had to be taken. He got up right away and jumped in the seat right next to the passenger and began working on restraining him in order to keep the situation contained,” Olenick told ABC.
Authorities have not released specific details about what happened in the cabin. The flight was diverted to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport around 10:15 p.m., according to the Federal Aviation Administration, which is also investigating the incident.
The two passengers said they stayed with Lundeen until law enforcement officials boarded the plane and took him into custody after they landed in Baltimore.
“We weren’t looking to hurt this individual; we were looking more to restrain him and control him, so it didn’t escalate to go any further,” Mejia said.
Lundeen was removed from the plane and the flight continued to Newark, American Airlines said in a statement.
Lundeen was charged with disorderly conduct and second-degree assault “for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at BWI Airport,” the MDTA Police said.
The reported incident that took place in the air is being investigated by the FBI.
“Lundeen was cleared by paramedics for an open wound on his arm that was noticed by officers while being taken into custody,” the MTDA Police said in a statement.
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence,” American Airlines said in a statement.
The FBI said the investigation is ongoing.
ABC News’ Jack Date contributed to this report.
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