A man has been federally charged after injuring a stewardess while trying to open the doors of a flight bound for DFW International Airport midair, the Justice Department announced.
On Nov. 19, Abdul-al-Jabbar Oloruntoba Olaiya, 29, allegedly became frustrated with a flight attendant at the front of the plane with about 30 minutes remaining during an American Airlines flight from Milwaukee to Dallas, according to court documents. He was overheard telling her he was “captain of this flight” and needed to “get off the plane.”
Olaiya is reportedly from Collingwood, Ontario, reported Canadian newspaper The National Post.
Then, he attempted to open the plane doors midair as the flight attendant guarded the doors with her body, injuring her in the process. She called for help and several passengers helped subdue Olaiya. They duct-taped his wrists and ankles while the plane completed its descent into Dallas.
Pilots had called air traffic control to request priority landing and taxiing, and once on the ground, Olaiya was removed from the plane by DFW DPS officers and transported to a hospital for a mental health evaluation.
The government has motioned for pretrial detention, and Olaiya faces up to 20 years in prison should he be convicted for his felony charge of interfering with a flight crew by assault or intimidation within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.
