Arizona American Airlines passenger who was restrained with duct tape faces federal indictment

The Tucson man accused of attacking a fellow passenger and shouting racial slurs aboard an American Airlines flight, before passengers restrained him with duct tape, has been indicted on federal charges, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, is charged with interfering with flight crew members and assault by striking, beating and wounding, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland said.

Lundeen was aboard Flight 618 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 3 when the plane was diverted to Baltimore’s Thurgood Marshall Airport.

According to the indictment, Lundeen attacked another passenger, ignored flight attendants’ instructions and directed abusive language, including racial slurs, at the crew. Witnesses told news outlets he also used homophobic slurs and hit the passenger seated next to him before other travelers helped flight attendants subdue him. Photos and video of Lundeen bound in duct tape spread widely on social media.

If convicted on the federal charges, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison on the interference charge and up to a year on the assault charge.

Lundeen had worked as a real estate agent with Long Realty Co. in Tucson. The company said it cut ties with him, calling the reported conduct “wholly inconsistent” with its standards.

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