An Ohio man was taped to his seat by other passengers on a Frontier Airlines flight after allegedly assaulting and groping flight attendants on the plane, according to KTLA sister station WJW in Cleveland, Ohio.
Maxwell Berry, 22, was arrested when the plane landed and could face three charges of battery in the case, WJW reports.
Berry was on the flight from Philadelphia to Miami the afternoon of July 31, the Miami-Dade Police Department said.
A police report states he ordered three alcoholic beverages from a flight attendant, and then brushed an empty cup against the attendant’s backside. He then allegedly spilled a new drink on his shirt and went to the bathroom, coming out shirtless.
The attendant told him to put on a shirt and helped him get a new shirt out of his carry-on.
Berry continued to walk around the plane and then groped the breasts of a second flight attendant, according to the police report. He then allegedly put his arms around the two attendants and groped their breasts.
Berry is also accused of punching a third flight attendant in the face after the attendant took over the job of monitoring the 22-year-old, asking him several times to calm down and remain seated.
Video captured by another passenger shows a fight ensued. Nearby passengers restrained Berry and taped him to his seat, tying him with a seatbelt extender for the rest of the flight, according to the police report.
The flight attendants involved have been placed on paid leave pending an investigation into the incident, which is in accordance with the airline’s policy, Frontier said.
Frontier Airlines issued the following statement:
During a flight from Philadelphia to Miami on July 31, a passenger made inappropriate physical contact with two flight attendants and subsequently physically assaulted another flight attendant. As a result, the passenger needed to be restrained until the flight landed in Miami and law enforcement arrived. Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who were assaulted on this flight. We are supporting the needs of these team members and are working with law enforcement to fully support the prosecution of the passenger involved. The inflight crew members’ current paid leave status is in line with an event of this nature pending an investigation.
