A California man accused of punching an American Airlines flight attendant so hard he broke her nose has claimed that she 'charged&...
A California man accused of punching an American Airlines flight attendant so hard he broke her nose has claimed that she 'charged' at him first and ran into his outstretched palm as he was traveling home after undergoing brain surgery stemming from an assault in New York City last year.
Brian Hsu, 20, of Irvine, California, was charged on Monday with assault and interference with a flight crew for the alleged altercation onboard an American Airlines flight from New York to Santa Ana, California on October 27.
The business class passenger appeared before U.S. District Judge Autumn Spaeth in Santa Ana on Monday and was released after paying a $10,000 bond. He is next due in court in Denver on November 15.
Asked by reporters outside court if he hit the flight attendant, he replied: 'No, sir.'
When he was asked by KTLA if he had a message for her, he said: 'I love America.'
The in-flight- which was investigated by the FBI and Denver Police Department - forced the pilot of the Airbus to make an unscheduled landing in Denver shortly after 6.30pm.
Witnesses on the flight last week say Hsu punched a flight attendant twice in the face and broke her nose after she bumped into him on the flight.
He also claimed that he could not have punched the flight attendant because he had sustained an injury to his right hand a few weeks ago, which prevents him from making a fist.
Hsu told police he was on the plane returning home after undergoing surgery in Rhode Island to reconstruct his skull. He said that he had suffered a head injury after being assaulted in New York City in the fall of 2020, which has left him suffering from psychological damage and 'brain fog,' ringing in his ears, nausea, dizziness, and loss of balance.
'He is now sensitive to sound and sometimes experiences a mental 'fog', during which thinking is difficult,' the agent wrote in his report into the arrest. 'Hsu said his parents think he acts differently than he used to.'
Brian Hsu, 20, is seen leaving a Los Angeles court on Monday after being released on a $10,000 bond
Hsu is seen leaving court after his hearing on Monday. He has been charged with assaulting a flight attendant
Court sketches show Hsu in Santa Ana on Monday, appearing before U.S. District Judge Autumn Spaeth
Hsu was released on bond, ordered to hand over his passport, but still permitted to travel to Rhode Island for medical appointments and Denver for court hearings. He is next in court in Denver on November 15
Hsu's mother, Julia Yu, confirmed to CBS News on Monday that her son had been arrested, but said she could not comment. She was with Hsu on the flight on October 27
Hsu told agents he got up to use the bathroom and was standing and stretching in the aisle when he 'accidentally' bumped the flight attendant with his hand or arm.
According to the passenger, the flight attendant 'became agitated and began swinging at Hsu's head' with her hands.
'Hsu stated that he became scared because an impact to his head in its current state could cause him severe injury or death,' according to the document.
In a bid to prevent the flight attendant from hitting him, Hsu claimed that he backed up towards his seat and raised his hands defensively, with his palms facing outward.
'Hsu then stated that the Victim charged at him and hit her nose against the palm of his right hand,' the complaint reads. 'After impact, Hsu did not see the Victim holding her nose, nor did he see any blood.'
A male flight attendant then placed himself between Hsu and his injured colleague, and restrained the passenger with tape and plastic handcuffs.
He complained that other passengers berated him 'and did not want to hear his side of the story.'
Hsu's mother was traveling with him on the flight, and confirmed that he had a neurological condition.
'Hsu's mother stated that after his brain injury, he had symptoms of dizziness and seems to become more easily angered,' the agent wrote. 'After his most recent surgery in Rhode Island, Hsu had trouble sitting still and frequently felt the need to stretch.'
Hsu's mother told the agent that her son had accidentally knocked into the flight attendant, and then the flight attendant became enraged.
'The victim became angry and rushed towards Hsu,' the agent notes. 'Hsu raised his palms to defend himself and one of this palms hit the victim in the nose.'
The man's mother said her son 'is afraid of people touching his head.' She also reiterated that he has a broken finger on his right hand from a recent workout injury and cannot make a fist.
The flight attendant, however, told investigators that Hsu had hit her.
She said he hit her in the head with his elbow, then 'charged at her, flailing his arms'.
Another flight attendant came to help his colleague, but Hsu, according to her account, charged again.
Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended Hsu, who was snapped sitting in Denver International Airport in handcuffs by fellow passenger Mackenzie Rose
An image snapped by a passenger and circulated on Twitter appeared to show crew members and other passengers on American Airlines flight 976 rallying to secure the man to an airplane seat using duct tape following the assault
'When he charged at the victim this time, he struck her in the face with the closed fist of his right hand.'
She was 'stunned' and walked into first class, where she and others barricaded themselves in with a drinks cart, while Hsu was restrained.
Hsu was later seen duct-taped on a seat after the plane made the unscheduled stop, as his alleged victim was being treated at a local hospital for broken bones in her face.
She spent the night in hospital, and was discharged the following day.
American Airlines officials have since banned Hsu, and said they will demand the strictest punishment for the suspect.
Following the altercation, the head of American Airlines, Doug Parker, called it 'one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we've ever witnessed,' in an Instagram post and video posted on Thursday.
'Last night, American Airlines had one of the worst displays we’ve seen, when a passenger violently assaulted one of our flight attendants. Thankfully, our flight attendant is recovering and we are making sure she and her fellow crew members have the support they need.
'The passenger, however, will never be allowed to fly American again and we are doing everything we can to ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible. But at the end of the day, while these interactions are not the norm, even one is too many, and they must stop.'
Video shared online showed passengers booing as cops boarded the jet when it landed at Denver Airport.
Mackenzie Rose, a passenger on the flight, said she saw the flight attendant walk by after the incident 'with blood on her mask', and speculated that the attacker might have been drunk or high.
Meanwhile, a photo posted on Twitter appeared to show crew members and passengers duct-taping the man to his seat.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, pictured, condemned the attack on the flight attendant
The flight took off from JFK Airport just before 5pm ET and landed in Colorado at 6.43pm Denver time according to flight tracking website Flightview.
Police met the plane at the gate and immediately apprehended Hsu, who was snapped sitting in the airport in handcuffs by Rose.
Denver Airport Police confirmed the subject was taken into custody and said the FBI is investigating the incident.
Paul Hartshorn Jr. of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants confirmed that the flight attendant has since been released from a Denver hospital and is on her way back home, according to KTLA.
'After a flight attendant who was working in a different cabin bumped this passenger, we’re told, she then walked into one of the flight galleys and this passenger approached her and punched her in the face at least twice. That’s what we know right now and she sustained broken bones in her nose and her face,' Hartshorn said.
The assault was initially believed to have occurred after the male passenger was asked to put on a mask by a flight attendant, but the exact cause of the attack was clarified by airline officials Thursday.
The female flight attendant had inadvertently bumped into the male passenger before apologizing, causing the man to swing a pair of punches at her, according to witnesses, hitting her in the face.
'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.
'In terms of men hitting women, it's absolutely absurd and ridiculous.'
Rose went on to say that she had 'an impression that there might be a substance or alcohol involved' in the incident.
The flight eventually left Denver for Orange County about 9:30 pm Denver time following the incident, according to American Airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced earlier this year that it would begin to enforce a zero-tolerance policy for unruly passengers after a rise in reports of aggressive behavior on flights.
The agency said in August it had issued more than $1 million in fines to unruly passengers in 2021, and revealed there have already been 4,941 unruly passenger reports this year alone.
Assaulting a flight attendant is a felony and could land an offender years in prison.
American Airlines flight 976 diverted from its original destination of John Wayne Airport to Denver International after a male passenger, thought to be traveling in business class, allegedly punched a female flight attendant twice in the face in a dispute over masks according to witnesses (flight 976 pictured at Denver International airport)
Mackenzie Rose (pictured), a passenger aboard American Airlines flight 976, said: 'I understand that he actually punched her twice. I saw her walk back down the aisle afterwards and she had blood splattered on the outside of her mask.'
American Airlines released a statement following the plane's arrival at Denver International (pictured), expressing their 'outrage' at the incident and promising to ban the individual, who has not yet been named, from all future American Airlines services.
The airline confirmed it intends to prosecute the individual, who it says was apprehended by law enforcement at the gate following the safe landing at Denver International Airport.
'We are outraged by the reports of what took place on board. Acts of violence against our team members are not tolerated by American Airlines,' it said in a statement.
'We have engaged local law enforcement and the FBI and we are working with them to ensure they have all the information they need. The individual involved in this incident will never be allowed to travel with American Airlines in the future, but we will not be satisfied until he has been prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
'We thank our crew for their quick action and professionalism to ensure the safety of their fellow team members and customers on board,' the airline said.
'Our thoughts are with our injured flight attendant and ensuring that she and her fellow crew members have the support they need at this time.'
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