Man Charged After Injuring Flight Attendant

A man who injured a flight attendant in an attempt to exit a plane mid-air has been federally charged, announced U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Leigha Simonton.

Abdul-al-Jabbar Oloruntoba Olaiya, 29, was charged via criminal complaint with interfering with a flight crew by assault or intimidation within the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.

According to court documents, on Nov. 19, roughly two hours into the flight from Milwaukee to Dallas, Mr. Olaiya became frustrated with a flight attendant as she worked the forward galley.

Witnesses told law enforcement they heard Mr. Olaiya tell her he was “captain of this flight” and needed to “get off the plane.”

He then allegedly charged the flight attendant in an attempt to access the aircraft exit door. The flight attendant, identified in court documents as S.J., used her body to shield the door and was injured in the scuffle.

Able-bodied passengers rushed to assist her. They subdued Mr. Olaiya and duct-taped his wrists and ankles. With only about 30 minutes left on the flight, pilots made the decision to continue to DFW, calling the tower for priority landing and taxing.

Upon landing, Mr. Olaiya was removed from the plane by officers and taken in for a mental evaluation.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Mr. Olaiya  is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office and the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Department of Public Safety conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Levi Thomas is prosecuting the case.