A man was arrested in an attack on a plane at Miami International Airport that left an American Airlines employee hospitalized, police said.
A man was arrested in an attack on a plane at Miami International Airport that left an American Airlines employee hospitalized, police said.
Bruno Luke Machiavelo, 29, was arrested on charges including aggravated battery, battery, disorderly conduct and resisting an officer without violence, an arrest report said.
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The incident happened Monday night at MIA as Machiavelo, who's from Connecticut, was on an AA flight to LaGuardia in New York, the report said.
At some point, Machiavelo told a flight attendant he has panic attacks and wanted his medication that was in his checked-in luggage, the report said.
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The attendant explained that she couldn't retrieve his medication, and Machiavelo told her he "took planes down with panic attacks in the past," the report said.
A decision was made to escort Machiavelo off the plane, but when the American Airlines manager approached him, he started to scream and push the manager away from him, the report said.
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As he was leaving the plane, Machiavelo started to punch the manager several times in her face then threw her to the floor, causing her to hit her head on the jetbridge, which left her hospitalized and caused permanent scarring to her face and head, the report said.
Machiavelo ran off the plane, pushing a gate agent and causing her to fall to the floor and injure her hands, the report said.
Officers who'd been flagged down by American Airlines employees responded to the gate and saw Machiavelo on the floor screaming and kicking as several passengers were holding him down, the report said.
Machiavelo resisted the officers but was taken into custody before he was brought to a local hospital, the report said.
He was expected to be booked into jail after being cleared at the hospital. Attorney information wasn't available.
American Airlines released a statement about the incident on Tuesday.
"Yesterday evening, law enforcement was requested at Miami International Airport due to a disturbance on the jetbridge where a customer physically assaulted a team member. Acts of violence against our colleagues are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation," the statement read. "Our thoughts are with our team member, and we are ensuring they have the support they need at this time."
