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28 March 2024

Pilot takes down unruly, violent passenger

Published
By Staff

An American Airlines pilot took matters into his own hands when an allegedly drunk passenger threatened the crew and pushed a flight attendant.
 
A video, obtained by the Lexington Herald-Leader, shows a Lexington man being subdued by a pilot after a confrontation with the flight crew of an American Airlines flight to Charlotte.

Lexington native Brian Colon, 23, shot the video on the July 21 flight that ended in the arrest of Michael Kerr, who worked as a cook at Portofino until he was fired last week.

In the video, Kerr threatened to break the pilot's jaw and pushed the flight attendant to the floor, prompting the pilot to take Kerr to the floor.

The flight had landed and was taxiing, waiting for the jet bridge to arrive at the exit door when the man started screaming.

A flight attendant asked Kerr to sit down, but he refused and followed her into the forward galley.

After the plane came to a complete stop, the captain came out of the cockpit and asked Kerr again to sit down, but he shoved the flight attendant and attempted to get out. The door of the plane was open, but the jet bridge wasn't in place yet.

“They had to hold him, solid, for like 15 minutes. They kept apologizing the whole time to the passengers. And the guy kept fighting back,” he said.

It took the pilots and multiple police officers to drag Kerr off the plane after he threatened, shoved, kicked and spat at flight attendants.

Kerr allegedly drank too much on the plane before he got combative with the flight crew.

Kerr, 25, faces charges of being intoxicated and disruptive, assault on a female, communicating threats and interfering with a flight crew or attendant, according to the Charlotte Observer.

Kerr was arraigned in federal court Monday and released on $20,000 bond.

The Charlotte Observer reported Monday that Kerr is now banned from flying on commercial airlines and is barred from contacting the flight attendant, who has been undergoing physical therapy for her injuries.