Man fined $52,500 for allegedly punching flight attendant now faces criminal charges
A federal grand jury in Seattle indicted a man accused of punching a flight attendant in the face twice and trying to open the cockpit door late last year during a flight from Hawaii to Washington state. Ryan Cajimat, 21, of Kapolei, Hawaii, is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants as well as assault within a special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, the Department of Justice announced Friday.
He is scheduled to be arraigned November 18.
Investigators say Cajimat was on a Delta Air Lines flight from Honolulu to Seattle on Christmas Eve 2020 when he became disruptive and started struggling with flight attendants. He was restrained for the rest of the flight and was removed from the plane in Seattle.
The Federal Aviation Administration fined Cajimat $52,500, and Delta Air Lines banned him from traveling with the company.
Federal prosecutors say interference is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Assault on an aircraft is punishable by up to one year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The incident is one of many that have happened on planes during the past year as Americans return to the skies after staying close to home in 2020. Just days before Friday's announcement from the Justice Department, an American Airlines passenger allegedly punched a flight attendant in the face twice, forcing a New York-to-Southern California flight to make an emergency landing in Denver.
CBS News transportation correspondent Errol Barnett reported a flight attendant bumped a first-class passenger during Wednesday's flight and quickly apologized. Later, the passenger went to the galley and allegedly punched the same crew member, breaking bones in her face, before returning to his seat as if nothing happened.
American CEO Doug Parker said it was one of the worst acts of unruly behavior he's seen. "This type of behavior has to stop, and the best deterrent is aggressive criminal prosecution," Parker said.
Authorities announced Monday that Brian Hsu, 20, has been charged with interference with a flight crew and assault within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States in that case.