A disruptive passenger was duct-taped to a first-class seat after a disturbance forced an American Airlines flight from DFW Airport to divert to Baltimore on September 3.
A passenger-recorded video shows the man wrapped in tape as others surround him, TMZ reported. The footage does not establish what started the confrontation.
A passenger was duct-taped to his seat after allegedly making racist and anti-gay remarks on an American Airlines flight.
According to TMZ, the man allegedly used the N-word toward a Black flight attendant and became violent, hitting another passenger and pushing a woman who… pic.twitter.com/GuqwkeEdoh
— Complex (@Complex) September 4, 2026
American Airlines Flight 618 left DFW at 6:42 p.m. CDT for Newark Liberty International Airport, flight-tracking records show. The plane landed safely at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport at about 10:15 p.m. EDT after the crew reported a passenger disturbance, the Federal Aviation Administration said, per ABC News.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police identified the passenger as Arthur Lundeen, 67, of Arizona. Officers arrested Lundeen and charged him with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct “for incidents that occurred aboard the aircraft at BWI Airport,” the agency said, per ABC News.
Lundeen allegedly struck an officer in the chest as police removed the tape and zip ties, according to police records cited in local reporting. The public record does not establish that the charge covers witnesses’ separate allegations about earlier conduct.
His full name appears as Layne Arthur Lundeen of Tucson in a Maryland court docket. He waived counsel Friday and was released on his own recognizance. His trial is set for October 19 in Glen Burnie District Court, according to reporting that cited the record.
Witnesses describe alleged slurs and assault
Authorities have not confirmed the witness allegations preceding the restraint.
Passengers Juan Mejia and Richard Olenick said the man grabbed his seatmate around the neck and that Lundeen bit Mejia as they worked to restrain him, CBS New York reported. Olenick also said the man directed the N-word at a flight attendant. Both men said the passenger used racial and anti-gay slurs, CNN reported.
The FBI Baltimore Field Office said agents are conducting interviews and will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland to determine whether federal charges are warranted, The Baltimore Banner reported.
Officers removed the passenger before the flight continued to Newark, American Airlines said, TMZ reported.
“The safety and security of our customers and team members is our top priority and we do not tolerate violence,” the airline said.
Another American Airlines passenger allegedly bit a traveler in June, as The Dallas Express previously reported.
