North Texas man who attacked 2 on American Airlines flight wanted to speak to Trump: feds
A North Texas man faces federal charges after he was accused of assaulting a passenger and threatening a flight attendant on an American Airlines flight.
Asterius Mutayoba Rulamka, 55, was aboard American Airlines Flight 5574, flying from Wichita, Kansas, to Washington Reagan Airport on March 5, according to court documents.
Around 9 p.m. the FBI was contacted by Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority police regarding a disturbance on the plane, an arrest warrant affidavit states.
When the plane was approaching its landing, Rulamka left his assigned seat and went to the back of the airplane, where he started an argument with a flight attendant, the affidavit states.
The suspect sat down in the back of the plane and started yelling at the flight attendant and threatening to “(expletive) him up” upon landing, according to the affidavit. Several passengers started taking video of the argument on their cell phones.
Rulamka noticed the filming and began attacking one of the passengers by grabbing his arms and telling him he was “going to (expletive) him up,” court documents state. He took the passenger’s hat and the glasses off of his face and repeatedly hit him, striking him in the face near his left eye, causing bruising and a bloodshot eye, according to the affidavit.
The flight attendant got out of his seat to assist and asked several other passengers to help. Another flight attendant also arrived to help, the affidavit states.
At one point, Rulamka tried to swing at the flight attendant, who was able to move out of the way in time to avoid being struck but in the process injured his hand, authorities said. The flight attendant suffered a small laceration to his finger and a broken fingernail, the warrant states.
Rulamka then started running up and down the cabin before three passengers and flight attendants were able to secure him in a seat for landing, the affidavit states.
Both injured victims provided statements confirming the incident, according to court documents. Authorities also interviewed other witnesses after the flight landed.
Rulamka made several statements, including that “he had come to D.C. to speak to President Trump” because he was “mad,” the warrant states. Investigators said he had a Texas drivers license. According to a social media account, he lives in Dallas and previously lived in Houston.
A criminal history check showed that Rulamka had an encounter with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2014 for a non-immigrant overstay, and immigration proceedings are pending, the warrant states.
In a statement to ABC News, the Fort Worth-based airline company said, “On March 5, law enforcement responded to American Eagle Flight 5574 after its arrival in Washington, D.C. (DCA) due to a disruptive customer. We do not tolerate violence, and thank our team members for their professionalism.”