Chaos erupted onboard Alaska Airlines Flight 2221 from Oakland to Portland on February 1, when a male passenger experiencing a "violent medical episode" attacked a female passenger, prompting a flight attendant to intervene. The incident caused panic among passengers.
According to reports, the altercation began shortly after takeoff when the man, seated behind the woman, suddenly yanked her hair. Footage of the incident, widely shared on social media, shows the flight attendant intervening to free the woman from the man's grip. "Let go of her hair!" a voice can be heard shouting in the video, as the flight attendant struggles to subdue the attacker. The flight attendant is seen delivering punches to the man's throat and torso in an effort to make him release the woman's hair.
Other passengers stepped in to assist during the scene. The man eventually released the woman's hair but began to scream loudly while rocking back and forth in his seat. Witnesses described the passenger as uncontrollable, noting that he had been "saying weird stuff and rocking back and forth" before the situation escalated.
The flight attendant called on "another capable male" to help restrain the passenger and prevent further harm. The crew and passengers managed to hold the man down until the pilot was able to return the aircraft to the gate. Law enforcement officers boarded the plane upon its return, and the man was arrested. "They restrained him for several minutes before he was arrested," a passenger said.
The female passenger who was attacked spoke about her experience. "My hair didn't bother him or anyone else, and certainly not for someone to pull it," she said. She described the man's behavior leading up to the incident: "He had a psychotic episode, banged his head several times against the back of my seat, briefly lost consciousness, came back to consciousness, and grabbed my hair close to the scalp."
Alaska Airlines Flight 2221 incident Oakland, CA 2/1/2024 ~10:35 am pic.twitter.com/ND7g1YqUVz
— chad_bro_chill_17 (@walterizzle) February 1, 2025
"I was terrified he'd punch me in the head, and I'm thankful for the flight attendant and other passengers who stepped in," she added.
Due to the severity of the assault, Alaska Airlines has permanently banned the passenger from future flights with the company and its regional carrier, Horizon Air. The airline confirmed the incident and praised the crew's action. "Our crew acted quickly to manage the situation and ensured the safety of all guests until law enforcement arrived," the company stated. "Our flight attendants' highest responsibility is the safety of guests and crew on board," the company noted.
The incident led to the cancellation of the flight. The flight attendant involved refused to continue flying, and a replacement was not available. Passengers were rebooked on later flights that day.
It remains unclear what specifically triggered the man's violent behavior. While some passengers speculated about his mental state, saying he had declared himself an alcoholic on multiple medications, definitive details have not been released. The airline has not provided further information about the passenger's condition.