One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Man Who Hit Flight Attendant En Route to LAX Was 'Too Intoxicated to Stand'
Photo by Salina Canizales via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
Plenty of us enjoy a nice cocktail aboard an aircraft to calm our nerves, but it's generally wise to know your limits while cruising at an altitude of 30,000 feet. One Minnesota man did not, and got so drunk on an L.A.-bound flight last night that he punched a flight attendant, then became convinced that he was being kidnapped when other passengers restrained him.
City News Service reports that Allen Chaves was removed from the Delta flight at about 8:45 p.m. at LAX. It's unclear what prompted Chaves to hit the steward, but passenger Ed Barrera told CBS2 that "there was a little bit of a scuffle, and when the flight attendant walked back up he was bleeding from the nose, so he had been scratched up."
Four other passengers jumped in, holding Chaves down for the remainder of the flight. He reportedly accused them of kidnapping him and holding him against his will, and when the plane landed, he refused to get off.
"He was unwilling to leave," Barrera said. "He kept holding onto the seats and they literally dragged him off the plane."
Sgt. Belinda Nettles of Los Angeles Airport Police interpreted Chaves' removal from the plane somewhat differently. "Airport police arrived," she told City News Service, "and at the request of the airline the subject was removed from the aircraft because he was too intoxicated to stand."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
