UPDATE: Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, of Frederick, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to interference with airline personnel and will pay the United Airlines gate agent he knocked out $15,000 in restitution. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
Crittenden admitted to consuming multiple alcoholic beverages before becoming irate about a delay and his seating assignment for his United Airlines flight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Per investigators:
- Crittenden cursed out the gate agent
- The agent informed the captain, who was on the jetbridge, that Crittenden was displaying signs of inebriation and verbally harassing him and his colleagues
- The captain stepped out into the gate area to speak with Crittenden, informing him that he could not fly on the aircraft
- Crittenden then assaulted the agent by punching him in the face, temporarily rendering the gate agent unconscious
Crittenden faces sentencing on October 9th and faces up to 10 years in prison (though he will likely spend far less time behind bars). As part of the plea agreement, he also agreed to pay the gate agent he knocked out $15,000. He pleaded guilty to violating 49 U.S.C. § 46503, which covers federal, airport, and airline employees who have security duties in the airport.
You can read the plea agreement here.
I am thankful this passenger was held accountable for his violent behavior.
My original story, from March 14, 2025, is below.
Shocking video shows a United Airlines passenger knocking out a gate agent after becoming agitated at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).
United Airlines Passenger Knocks Out IAD Gate Agent
All we have is four seconds of video, but it clearly captures an assault and battery against a United Airlines gate agent in IAD. We don’t know what was going on, but we do see the passenger get upset, then approach the gate agent yelling out:
“I’m done with this bullsh*t! Who f*ckin’ wants to take it first?”
(YouTube censured me for posting this video due its violence, but here it is below)
Notice the captain is standing there too…and there are people walking off the jetbridge and into the terminal concourse. My guess is that there was a flight delay–probably a rolling delay–that became worse once the flight finally pulled up to the gate (giving United’s operation folks a better idea of how long it would take to deplane, clean, then re-board the aircraft).
Perhaps the angry man blew a gasket after the delay got even worse and then attacked…as if that was going to work.
Another theory is that he was trying to get onto an oversold flight.
Per View From The Wing, “The reportedly well-liked, kind gate agent was taken away on a stretcher and hospitalized. The passenger was arrested on the spot.”
That passenger has been identified as Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, of Frederick, Maryland. He faces charges of assault and disorderly conduct. United has also banned him:
“The passenger involved has been banned from future travel on United.”
A traveler named Ama Deisel took the video above, but later made his Twitter/X account private.
And not to make fun of the gate agent in any way (he can reach out ot me if he wants to sue the violent passenger), but it brings to memory Mike Tyson’s KO of Marvis Frazier…ouch.
image: @amar3455 / X
The man who punched should be jailed and fined.
How about caned and then forced into involuntary servitude, as the 13th Amn allows?
This would be both a hilarious and concerning thing if you applied this same judgment to the Spirit in MIA crowd
He probably missed his flight.
I’m surprisingly comfortable with the concept as long as he gets a long term subscription to the no-fly club.
Don’t forget: he should definitely be trespassed from Dulles – for life.
The gate agent must have been wearing a Harris/Waltz ’24 pin…..
That’s a fast way to end up on the no-fly list. Violence is usually never the answer.
There is no decency left in this country. When you sucker punch someone who has glasses on and is simply trying to de-escalate the situation and had nothing to do with the reason the airplane is delayed… that is not comparable to Mike Tyson in a fair fight, but the actions of a true coward.
To be sure, I agree…it’s just really sad all around.
Thanks for posting, finally get to see how “Douchebag” Dave Edwards looks and sounds and behaves. Please keep us updated, I might try to visit him (or her) in jail when it will be safe to tell him the nickname that his hero would undoubtedly bestow upon him.
LOL! You are funny….
You are very funny….and speak the truth!
What a legend
Men and their emotions.
Sadly this fat sucker puncher is from ( let’s say down the road ). This violence should receive the greatest punishment. In a bar he would have been beaten severely for such an indiscretion before arrest.
No excuses for violence. My best to the gate agent for a quick recovery and award
What do you expect when you have a president who pardons hundreds of violent felons who violently stormed the US Capital and tried to over throw a peaceful transition of power. What do you expect when you have a president and political party running the US government that encourages and rewards violence.
America just doesn’t get it. But they will soon enough….the chaos is just getting started.
He was, “just a tourist and having a look.” Trump will pardon him and he will become an honored guest of GOP/MAGA conventions.
My fears and nightmares. Ugh
0 Days since Antwerp cried about orange man on the internet
TV news reports say that he was drunk. Also his original flight was canceled and he was mad when he was assigned a middle seat on his new flight. What a clown. You can kill someone hitting them in the head like that.
100% chance this guy voted for trump
100% this guy voted for Biden.
But that isn’t the issue here.
Why is it that now we all look at someone and how they act/dress and assume MAGA.
Hey, I did. But why is it that MAGA’s feel like they can act like this?
Oh yeah their dear leader is the example.
Sad travel has come down to this.
Happy to hear he is banned for life. Hopefully other carries will ban passengers guilty of assault & battery.
Hopefully the Gate Agent brought a suit against this idiot
I personally know the alleged culprit…very out of character for him. (Not making any excuses for him.)
Look we all have bad days, I’ve had plenty. But short of a psychotic breakdown, I’d never punch a gate agent in the face. The culprit’s character is there for all to see.
The first thing they need to do is ask you a mental and physical health questionnaire when you buy your air reservation. If you are too unstable, angry, fearful, or nervous to fly, you don’t go.
Surprised that the agent will be getting $15,000. Often, victims get nothing.
If I remember correctly, the victim had their teeth knocked out. Ugh.
The judge may take a dim view of this behaviour and give him a long sentence, but six months in federal prison followed by twelve months of supervised release would probably be sufficient to deter him from reoffending.
I guess it was better to hit the gate agent than the pilot who actually denied the miscreant boarding…