MIAMI — A man was arrested for assaulting an American Airlines manager at Miami International Airport, leaving her hospitalized with serious head injuries.
Bruno Luke Machiavelo, 29 from Connecticut was charged with aggravated battery, battery, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to an arrest report.
The attack happened on Monday, Nov. 27, on an American Airlines flight headed to New York City. According to the arrest report from Miami-Dade police, Machiavelo got agitated and told a flight attendant that he had panic attacks that had taken planes down in the past. He said he wanted his medication, which was in his checked-in luggage. The flight attendant told him she couldn't retrieve it.
Shortly afterward, Machiavelo was asked to leave the plane and return to the gate. The report said he started to scream and push the manager away from him, and then as he was leaving the plane, he attacked the manager, punching her and throwing her to the floor on the bridge between the plane and the terminal gate.
He then allegedly ran, pushing over a gate agent until other passengers stopped him. By the time officers showed up, Machiavelo was on the floor kicking and screaming as several bystanders held him down. He resisted being taken away by officers, but he was ultimately arrested and brought to a local hospital before being charged.
Meanwhile, as another passenger on the flight later told Newsweek, the pilot informed the other passengers about what had happened.
"We have had an incident on our plane. We were trying to eject a deranged man when he got angry and struck our [gate agent] and she is passed out. It is very serious. She is currently on the floor," the pilot was quoted as saying, allegedly adding that there was a significant amount of blood on the floor of the bridge. The flight was ultimately delayed for several hours.
"Acts of violence against our colleagues are not tolerated by American Airlines and we are committed to working closely with law enforcement in their investigation," said the airline in an e-mailed statement. "Our thoughts are with our team member, and we are ensuring they have the support they need at this time."
