An emergency was declared on a Chicago-bound American Airlines flight after a passenger had an onboard outburst and allegedly attacked a flight attendant.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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WATCH HEREThat's when they said a man, in his 20s, stood up from his seat about 30 minutes into the flight from Bradley International Airport to Chicago, began taking off his shirt, then ran to the back of the plane yelling, "Help me."
The man then grabbed a flight attendant, pulling them out of their seat and to the ground while shouting "you're coming with me," authorities said. He tried to drag the flight attendant up the aisle, but passengers intervened.
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SIGN UP The man was brought back to his seat, but continued acting erratically and making incoherent statements, authorities said.
The pilot declared an emergency and the flight was diverted back to Bradley Airport, where the man was arrested for assaulting a crew member and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
He appeared in court on Wednesday and has another court appearance on Friday. The FBI is assisting with the investigation, NBC Connecticut reported.
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In a statement, American Airlines said they returned to Bradley Airport due to a disruptive customer.
"We do not tolerate violence, and we thank our team members for their professionalism and our customers for their assistance," a spokesperson said.
