Passengers who restrained Tucson man on flight speak out | News

TUCSON, Ariz. — A Tucson man is facing federal criminal charges after passengers and crew members had to restrain him during a flight late last week.

The incident occurred on an American Airlines flight from Dallas to Newark, forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing in Baltimore.

The suspect, identified as 67-year-old Layne Arthur Lundeen, allegedly became loud and disruptive about two hours into the flight. Passengers Richard O’Lenick and Juan Mejia, who were sitting two rows in front of Lundeen, said they watched the situation escalate as flight attendants tried to calm him down.

Mejia, a former police officer, said Lundeen was shouting racial slurs and derogatory remarks at the crew. The situation turned physical when Lundeen allegedly assaulted the passenger sitting next to him.

“I can see the escalation going. The flight attendants were trying to deescalate him. They were just getting spit venom from him. Derogatory remarks, racial comments, the whole gambit,” said Mejia

O’Lenick and Mejia intervened after making eye contact with the panicked passenger. Mejia said he ordered Lundeen to release the victim, but Lundeen refused to cooperate.

“At that point, I believe the female flight attendant hands us this yellow zip tie. He had already injured himself; he had some cut on his arm. We put the zip ties on him, but his blood was getting all over us. Everywhere.”

As Lundeen continued to struggle and try to free himself, the passengers used duct tape to secure his hands, legs, torso, and shoulders to the seat. They also wrapped tape around his forehead to keep him still, ensuring his eyes and airways remained clear.

“We didn’t want to hurt the individual; all we needed was for the situation to deescalate.” said O’Lenick. “We needed him to stop hitting other people. We only took the next steps, went to the next level, when things got physical.”

The pilot diverted the aircraft to Baltimore, where FBI agents boarded the plane and arrested Lundeen.

O’Lenick and Mejia said they could smell alcohol on Lundeen during the struggle. They remained with him for the rest of the flight to ensure the safety of the passengers and crew.