Duct-Taped Passenger Admits to Drinking Before Mid-Air Meltdown
A 67-year-old realtor told a judge he consumed two vodka cocktails prior to an incident that forced an American Airlines flight to make an emergency landing.
The American Airlines passenger who was duct-taped to his seat during a flight to Newark has revealed that he consumed two vodka and orange juice cocktails before his alleged racist and homophobic outburst. Layne Lundeen, 67, informed a Maryland judge that these drinks preceded the incident on the September 3 flight, which necessitated an emergency diversion to Maryland. Passengers ultimately restrained Lundeen, who has claimed no memory of the event, to his seat using duct tape and zip ties.
Lundeen, an Arizona realtor who reportedly lost his job following the incident, allegedly used profanity and racial slurs, and began to curse at religious figures. According to Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic rabbi who was seated next to Lundeen, the tirade began when the conversation turned to religion.
"I have never seen someone change in a split second from light to dark as I saw then, as if something had taken him over," Cahn stated previously. "He went from the friendliest guy in the world to this dark person."
Another passenger, retired law enforcement officer Juan Mejia, told CBS News that a flight attendant indicated at least one drink had been served. The flight, en route from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, had been airborne for two hours before the disruption occurred. Lundeen stated that his recollection of the flight ends well before the incident.
"I don’t remember any of what happened," Lundeen told a judge in Annapolis, according to The Baltimore Banner, which obtained audio of his court appearance. "I assaulted a police officer? Is that what it says? I don’t have my glasses."
Lundeen was subsequently arrested and faces charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct. He was also reportedly apprehended by law enforcement within minutes of the plane's arrival.