A flight attendant told him how to wear his mask. Then he struck her, Florida cops say
Another tantrum in the sky over face mask rules, and this one in Florida on Thursday afternoon turned violent.
According to the Pensacola News Journal, a 70-year-old Oregon man was arrested after allegedly hitting a flight attendant as the AmericanAirlines flight was landing at Pensacola International Airport around 2:30 p.m. Thursday. The passenger’s departure city was not included in the police report.
According to Mike Wood, a spokesman with the Pensacola Police Department, the passenger, John Loucky, was told to readjust his face mask and got agitated. The matter escalated, Wood told the Miami Herald, and the suspect struck the attendant in the arm.
Though the injuries were minor, he said, the AA employee wanted to press charges, Wood said.
Loucky was arrested and was charged with battery and resisting arrest. He was transported to the Escambia County Jail where he was later released on $500 bail. Fines down the road are possible. The latest incident follows a spate of passengers acting up on planes for a variety of reasons, the majority of which are mask-related.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, “The repercussions for passengers who engage in unruly behavior can be substantial. They can be fined by the FAA or prosecuted on criminal charges. As part of the FAA’s Reauthorization Bill (PDF) FAA can propose up to $37,000 per violation for unruly passenger cases.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2021 at 1:20 PM.
