May 3—A man accused of punching a flight attendant on a plane scheduled to leave San Francisco for Houston was arrested and charged with battery.
"On Sunday night, our team at San Francisco International Airport immediately contacted law enforcement after a disruptive customer assaulted one of our customer service employees during boarding," said officials at United Airlines in an emailed statement.
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Naya Jimenez, who boarded the United Airlines flight Sunday night, reportedly asked 47-year-old Cody Benjamin Lovins of Montgomery and his wife seated beside him to move from the seat she was assigned, she told ABC13.
Lovins reportedly responded angrily and Jimenez took out her cellphone, recording the moment he punched a flight attendant multiple times.
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After passengers and flight personnel tried to help restrain him, Jimenez said Lovins attempted to jump out of the plane after successfully opening an emergency exit door.
San Francisco police arrested Lovins, and he was cited then released for battery.
Lovins has also been banned from any future flights with United Airlines.
"This customer's behavior was unacceptable, he has been banned from future United flights and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation," the airline said in the statement. "We're grateful to our team for their professionalism and for looking out for the safety of our customers and their fellow United employees."
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