Airline passenger duct-taped to his seat after allegedly assaulting flight attendants

An American man was duct-taped to his seat on a Frontier Airlines flight after he allegedly groped and attacked flight attendants, video shows.

Upon landing at Miami International Airport, Maxwell Berry, 22, of Norwalk, Ohio, was arrested on three counts of misdemeanor battery.

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Berry is accused of groping two flight attendants and punching a third in the face on the flight, which was travelling from Philadelphia to Miami.

Miami-Dade police said Berry had two drinks while on the Frontier Airlines flight, and had ordered another drink.

According to police and eyewitness reports, it all began when Berry brushed an empty cup against the buttocks of a female flight attendant, who then told him not to touch her. Berry then spilled a drink on his shirt, according to officials, then went to the bathroom and came out shirtless.

With the help of a flight attendant, Berry retrieved another shirt from his carry-on. Police said that after walking around inside the plane for 15 minutes, Berry allegedly grabbed the two female flight attendants’ breasts after putting his arms around their shoulders.

The women called a male flight attendant to watch Berry, and the passenger punched the flight attendant in the face with a closed fist.

Following the altercation that ensued, Berry was subdued with the help of other passengers and was duct-taped to his seat by a flight attendant using a seatbelt extender.

Part of the incident was recorded by other passengers, as seen in the video, above.

Berry repeatedly swore at other passengers and at the crew. At one point, he said that his parents were worth “two million goddamn dollars.”

Another video posted to celebrity gossip site TMZ.com captures Berry further disturbing other passengers and ranting about his race.

“Frontier Airlines maintains the utmost value, respect, concern and support for all of our flight attendants, including those who were assaulted on this flight,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement. The airline is working with law enforcement to prosecute Berry.

The flight attendants involved in the incident have been placed on paid leave, pending an investigation.

Berry is currently free on a US$1,500 bond.

In the criminal complaint, the arresting officers said that they had referred the case to the FBI but the organization declined to pursue federal felony charges, according to the New York Times.

— With files from Reuters