An Irvine man was arrested in Denver, Colorado after allegedly punching a female crew member in the face while aboard an American Airlines flight that was traveling from New York to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana on Wednesday, Oct. 27.  

Irvine resident Brian Hsu, 20, appeared in the Colorado Department of Justice on Monday, Nov. 1, after his involvement in the mid-flight incident, in which the American Airlines crew member suffered a broken nose.

Hsu is named in a Nov. 1 release from the Colorado Department of Justice and was expected to be arraigned later in the day.

“The charges stem from Mr. Hsu’s alleged assault of a flight attendant on October 27, 2021, aboard American Airlines Flight 976, which was diverted to Denver, Colorado. It is anticipated that Mr. Hsu will appear in the United States District Court for the Central District of California for an initial appearance later today.”

After the incident occurred, the flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Denver, Colo., where Hsu was arrested by authorities.  

On Thursday, Oct. 28, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker addressed the incident involving Hsu. In his recorded address, posted on Instagram, Parker said the incident involving Hsu was, “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior we’ve ever witnessed.”

While the American Airlines CEO did not mention the Irvine man’s name specifically, he alluded to the incident being part of a negative trend that is being noticed nationwide.

“While the world reopening brings many positive aspects, there’s been a very disturbing downside,” Parker said. “We’ve all seen the reports of unruly behavior — people showing disrespect, anger and impatience toward each other.”

In the Instagram post, Parker wrote that the crew member is recovering, but added that the suspect will no longer be allowed to fly on American Airlines.

“Thankfully, our flight attendant is recovering and we are making sure she and her fellow crew members have the support they need,” said Parker. “The passenger, however, will never be allowed to fly American again and we are doing everything we can to ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent possible.”

It is unclear if Hsu has been convicted of a crime at the time of this report. The Denver Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation were also involved in the case involving the Irvine resident.

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