A Polish man is under arrest in Colombia after he punched a police officer while he was being removed from a Spirit Airlines flight because he had allegedly consumed too much liquor.
Footage released by police showed the passenger, who also has a residence in the US, exchanging barbs with fellow customers flight 239 bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida was waiting to leave the gate at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla on Sunday.
The man, whose name has not been released, could be heard shouting, ‘f**k you, b****h,’ at another passenger as he was being escorted by a flight attendant and two cops.
He let out another F-bomb and stopped in the middle of the plane to berate another passenger, telling them, ‘You wish you would be in the United States.’
One of the cops subsequently pushed him forward before he hit the cop and repeatedly told him, ‘I hate you.’
An American passenger was arrested for assaulting a police officer on a Spirit Airlines aircraft at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla on Sunday
The irate man continued to charge at the police officer before he fell into a row of seats and was pushed to the front of the airplane, where he was wrestled to the ground and removed.
‘This man is being prosecuted for the crime against a public servant and in the next few hours he will be placed at the disposal of the competent authorities,’ Colombian Police General Jorge Urquijo told Blu Radio.
The passenger’s behavior, Urquijo said, was attributed to an ongoing custody battle with the mother of his son, who currently resides in Colombia.
Urquijo said that the court ruling was not in his favor ‘and according to preliminary information, this would have led to his state of alteration coupled with alcohol consumption. We have no criminal record.’
Spirit Airlines told DailyMail.com in a statement that the passenger was barred from flying on its aircraft.
‘We do not tolerate aggressive behavior of any kind, and this passenger is no longer welcome on any of our flights. We will provide any necessary assistance to the relevant authorities as they investigate this matter.for comment.’
According to the FAA’s annual year-end data, the number of unruly passenger reports has significantly dropped from its record point two years ago.
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