An Orange County man is standing before federal prosecutors after he was caught on video punching a flight attendant on a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles on Wednesday.
The aggression was cowardly when the pro turned his back on him. Watch the video:
Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, of Westminster, has been charged with disrupting crew and flight attendants, the Justice Department said on Thursday.
According to a statement filed with the complaint, Le traveled to Los Angeles International Airport on September 21 on American Airlines Flight 377 from San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. About 20 minutes after takeoff, Le rose from his seat as flight attendants served food and drinks. He grabbed a flight attendant from behind by the left shoulder and ordered coffee. Moments later, he grabbed a flight attendant by the shoulders from behind. After the flight attendant took a step back and assumed a defensive posture, Le walked to the front of the plane.
Le then allegedly walked near the first class cabin and then sat down in an unoccupied aisle near the wall separating the first class cabin from the plane’s main cabin. Another flight attendant approached Le and asked him to return to his seat. The man disobeyed, stood up and assumed a fighting stance towards the flight attendant, clenching his fists with both hands, which the flight attendant interpreted as a threat. The flight attendant decided to report Le’s behavior to the pilot, walked away from Le and went to the front of the plane. At that point, Le ran up to the flight attendant and hit him on the back of the head, which the affidavit said was witnessed by several passengers, including one who filmed the attack.
After attacking the flight attendant, Le fled to the back of the plane.
American Airlines said in a statement that acts of violence against crew members would not be tolerated.
“The person involved in this incident will never be able to travel with us in the future and we will be working closely with the authorities in their investigation,” the statement said.
“We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism in ensuring the safety of their teammates and customers on board. Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and we are making sure he and his crewmates have the support they need at this moment.”
Le is scheduled to appear in court for the first time Thursday afternoon in downtown Los Angeles.
The accused must be questioned in a Los Angeles court. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.