Fight breaks out aboard airplane in Burbank
According to a statement from Southwest, flight 2530 had come in from Dallas, Texas, in the middle of a trip to Oakland when it landed in Burbank for a layover. (May 10, 2017) (Sign up for our free video newsletter here)
A video has surfaced of a fistfight between two men aboard a Southwest Airlines flight on Sunday as the aircraft was taxiing to a terminal at Hollywood Burbank Airport for a layover, according to Burbank police.
In the video, which was posted to Twitter, the two men can be seen grappling with one another on the plane with one man repeatedly throwing punches at the other. A woman can be heard yelling, “What is wrong with you? Get off!”
The video ends just as other passengers pull the two men apart.
Michael Krause was a passenger on the flight and the man behind the video — which has since gone viral. The Newbury Park resident said he was helping another man with his luggage when he heard a “big tussle” going on several rows in front of him.
“One of the guys had picked up another guy by his shirt and pushed him up against the overhead bin,” he said. “Then he kind of flung around and threw him down.”
Krause said that’s when he began to film the fight as he already had his phone out to call his wife. His son subsequently posted the video online.
The incident was surreal as the plane ride was “as smooth as can be,” Krause said.
According to Sgt. Derek Green with the Burbank Police Department, one man was arrested as a result of the incident.
Officers booked Chaz Cable, a 37-year-old Lancaster man, on suspicion of misdemeanor battery.
According to a statement from Southwest, flight 2530 had come in from Dallas, Texas, in the middle of a trip to Oakland when it landed in Burbank for a layover. The airline said three people were involved in the fight rather than two.
“We’re grateful to our employees who quickly reacted to break up a fight involving three customers,” according to the statement. “One customer had minor injuries, but was able to travel onward. We have no other reports of injuries.”
Krause praised Southwest for its handling of the situation, saying one flight attendant tried to pull the two men apart but became pinned underneath them during the melee.
“It seems like a lot of the airlines have done bad things [recently],” he said. “I feel that this shows that Southwest and their employees did a wonderful job. They tried to defuse the situation.”
It’s unknown who the other two people involved with the fight are or how it started.
Cable is currently being held in lieu of $50,000 bail.
Twitter: @Andy_Truc
UPDATES:
3:25 p.m.: This article was updated with information from a passenger on the plane.
This article was originally published May 9 at 7:25 p.m.
