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Home » Alaska Airlines » Hero: Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Throat Punches Passenger Who Pulled Woman’s Hair And Would Not Let Go While Suffering “Psychotic Episode”
Alaska Airlines

Hero: Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Throat Punches Passenger Who Pulled Woman’s Hair And Would Not Let Go While Suffering “Psychotic Episode”

Matthew Klint Posted onFebruary 7, 2025 29 Comments

a man hugging a stuffed animal on an airplane

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant was forced to repeatedly strike a passenger in the throat after that passenger grabbed his seatmate by her hair and refused to let go. I commend this flight attendant for bravery and quick thinking.

Throat Punch: Alaska Airlines Flight Attendant Jumps In To Save Passenger After Seatmate Grabbed Her Hair And Would Not Let Go

We are often reminded that flight attendants are “here primarily for your safety” and if ever that were true, it was put on display onboard an Alaska Airlines flight last Saturday, February 1, 2025.

Alaska Airlines flight 2221 from Oakland, California (OAK) to Portland, Oregon (PDX) was preparing for takeoff when a kerfuffle occurred in the cabin. A male passenger was spouting off some “weird” things and began rocking his head violently, eventually striking it against the seat in front of him and reportedly briefly losing consciousness.

When he awoke, he reached over and grabbed the hair of the woman sitting a row in front of him and refused to let go. A flight attendant came over and when the man refused to let go of the woman’s hair, the flight attendant began striking him in the throat (a common law enforcement tactic targeting the brachial plexus nerve) until he finally let go.

The aircraft, an Embraer E175, returned to the gate and the man was removed from the flight (though the flight ultimately cancelled).

Here’s video of the disturbance onboard:

Alaska Airlines Flight 2221 incident Oakland, CA 2/1/2024 ~10:35 am pic.twitter.com/ND7g1YqUVz

— chad_bro_chill_17 (@walterizzle) February 1, 2025

An eyewitness report onboard:

“We were about to take off from OAK to PDX but this dude started saying weird stuff and rocking back and forth. A flight attendant was called then he grabbed the woman’s hair in front of him and wouldn’t let go so the flight attendant started punching him in the throat. He was restrained for several minutes before being arrested. The flight was cancelled after an attendant refused to fly and could not be replaced. I lady said he said he was an alcoholic on five medications before he started repeating himself and glitching out.”

And recollections from the female victim:

“I am the woman whose hair was grabbed. My hair was not in anyone’s way to provoke anyone to grab it. The man was having a psychotic episode, banged his head multiple times on the back of my seat, shortly lost consciousness, regained consciousness and grabbed my hair close to the scalp. Had I leaned forward with him grabbing my hair, he could have pulled my hair out. I was afraid this man was going to punch me in the head and I am thankful for the FA and other passengers who stepped in to help.”

Kudos To Flight Attendant

Flight attendants take a lot of flak (often justifed) for not doing their work well, but I am very comfortable commending the flight attendant for fulfilling his highest role…keeping passengers safe. Being a bouncer is not in the job description of a flight attendant and I do wonder how a petite female flight attendant from an East Asian carrier would have responded…the victim onboard was very fortunate to have a tall and strong flight attendant on her flight.

Keeping passengers safe is in the job description and I am grateful that the flight attendant so instantly risked his own safety to protect the woman who was indeed in genuine danger from the erratic passenger.

Sadly, the deranged man may try to sue the flight attendant, but he had it coming to him…I’d love to defend this flight attendant in a court of law…

Do you agree that the flight attendant was justified in using violence against the aggressor?

(Hat Tip: View From The Wing)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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29 Comments

  1. Lukas Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 1:29 pm

    Psychotic is right!

    • Alert Reply
      February 7, 2025 at 2:00 pm

      As are both Oakland and Portland .

      FA will need to complete witness statements for law enforcement and the airline .

      • Let It Go Reply
        February 7, 2025 at 9:58 pm

        2020 called and asked that you finally let this pathetic, played out, violently disproven idiocy die

  2. Matthew Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 1:54 pm

    Im all for Flight attendants punching more passengers. Sick of the entitlement amongst us of people who are on drugs, drunk, or just evil flying. F*ck around and find out.

  3. Chi Hsuan Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 2:08 pm

    It was Neal Z mistaking the female for a Trump supporter.

  4. Maryland Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 2:18 pm

    EVA had an incident last May. 3 female FA blocked a beatdown over stealing a seat. It’s determination not to tolerate nonsense that can deliver peace. This dude however psycho or high may have required a heavier hand.

  5. Docntx Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 2:21 pm

    I have mentioned repeatedly the fact that at any point I n time up to 5%, one in 20 may have a serious psychiatric condition, and we keep pretending it doesn’t happen. A psychotic person in a confined space. What could possibly go wrong?

  6. Grateful Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 3:28 pm

    Oh man…

    Kudos! His quick confident and calm manner really shows the years of service he has been through. He handled that very well indeed.

    Just one tinge in the article. Why is it that you think a small east Asian woman wouldn’t be able to quell such a situation?… Uh, ya know women learn self-defense tactics, martial arts, and tackle situations head on just like anyone with proper training?!?

    This shows years of experience flying. And I would hope any well trained flight attendant would be as effective in such a situation.

    And don’t underestimate the power of a woman to throat punch you if you piss her off.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 7, 2025 at 5:16 pm

      I’m skeptical, having just flown a number of Asian carriers, but I hope you are right.

  7. Sam B. Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 9:31 pm

    > Sadly, the deranged man may try to sue the flight attendant, but he had it coming to him…I’d love to defend this flight attendant in a court of law…

    This is playing out entirely in your head. Nothing’s sad about it because it hasn’t happened.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 7, 2025 at 10:53 pm

      Which of course was made clear by my use of the modal auxiliary verb may…

  8. Jegga Reply
    February 7, 2025 at 11:05 pm

    Why are you still linking to X? Not cool.

    • jesda gulati Reply
      February 8, 2025 at 1:39 am

      You lost.

  9. DocB Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 5:15 am

    FWIW – The brachial plexus is in the shoulder with its roots originating from the posterior aspect of the cervical spine.

    Image here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2467981X20300251#f0005

  10. Matthew Klint IsAPussy Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 8:34 am

    > and I do wonder how a petite female flight attendant from an East Asian carrier would have responded…

    Racism and sexism in a single sentence. Kudos to you, jagoff.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 8, 2025 at 10:11 am

      Oh, you think there is no difference between a burly male and a small female? And do you even know what racism is? You poor dumb idiot…people like you are the reason we have Trump.

      • StopTrump Reply
        February 9, 2025 at 9:17 am

        Anyone of any size and ethnicity or gender who is properly trained could execute the throat punch effectively on any person of any size and in any psychotic state. It’s about training. Get over your bigotry and misogyny

      • Win Whitmire Reply
        February 10, 2025 at 10:53 am

        The comment about Trump was uncalled for. All someone with any common sense will note that Mr. Trump didn’t just win the election…he swept the election. Americans are tired of the government encroaching on the life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness written into the Declaration Of Independence. Americans are tired of government encroaching on the constitutional guarantees for citizens of the United States. He is not a saint, for sure, but he is executing what legal American citizens want done. Look at what was “swept under the rug” and now uncovered by the President who declassified documents that PROVE past administration’s illegal transactions with foreign entities. This revelation explains why past administrations have issued “preemptive pardons” for family members and cronies. Stick to flying and travel information and keep politics out of your articles.

  11. James Clukey Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 10:08 am

    The woman whose hair was being pulled indicated the person was using a lot of force. Someone has to decide what is necessary to stop the action. The FA was probably the right person to do that. I have minimal experience with situations like this but I might have pulled the perpetrators ears or hair to cause pain. Striking the neck eventually got the desired reaction.

  12. TLD Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 10:27 am

    Flight attendants take a lot of flak (often justifed) for not doing their work well,

    Excuse me? Are you kidding me? What a stupid statement. Are you an FA? Well I am, not for this airline but that doesn’t matter .. that statement is beyond ridiculous.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      February 8, 2025 at 10:49 am

      Are you kidding? If a FA is rude or disinterested, I will call him/her out…as we all should. Just like in any profession, there are good, bad, and ugly (and don’t misread me…I’d say mostly good).

    • RonH Reply
      February 17, 2025 at 6:11 pm

      I agree with you, TLD. This statement was unjustified. Apparently, the author has no idea what FAs have to put up with. Passengers these days are often unruly, impolite and behaviorally challenged. Not all of them, just some. As a major airline captain, if one of my passengers gives one if my crew members a hard time, I’ll have them removed for security reasons. That includes snarky authors.

  13. Natalie Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 3:53 pm

    Unjustified use of force based on the common use of force scale. FA should be charged and terminated. I hope multiple civil lawsuits begin for affected parties.

    • cbpitt Reply
      February 10, 2025 at 11:25 am

      Maybe you’ll be the next one whose hair gets pulled on a flight

  14. hiolpilot Reply
    February 8, 2025 at 6:09 pm

    For those who said he used excessive force, did you see the woman as she got out of the seat gasping for air. He saved her life. That guy was out of his mind and the FA was right to do whatever is needed to stop the assault onboard. You do NOT touch another passenger let alone grab their throat. You apply all force necessary to stop it. 100% with the FA and the Captain for returning to the gate.

  15. jenga boy Reply
    February 9, 2025 at 12:50 am

    “And do you even know what racism is? ” Use a mirror much Klint?

  16. Larry O Reply
    February 9, 2025 at 12:52 am

    Ok nobody else will said it..the woman looked to be black and clearly the man was caucasian..I’m looking at this assault as a hate crime, then the caucasian man wanted to actually act crazy to play it off…I’m sure alcohol played a roll also..If a black man was setting next to the caucasian man this would have never happen…ijs

  17. Sherri Reply
    February 9, 2025 at 3:11 pm

    Please take into consideration this thought. Our Land and Water is full of toxic materials which means that our Bodies and Mind are being altered.Any human that ingested toxic materials for prolonged periods of time begin to mutate into well not to sound too corny Mutants. One can only Concude that We are all in danger of various types of illments.

  18. DENNY Reply
    February 10, 2025 at 9:36 am

    An immediate solution to many of the incidents; past and present; would be to stop serving alcohol. Mind altering substances have no place in such a confined space. Wait for it……

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