Flight Attendant Suffered Concussion After Assault By Passenger: Report

A female American Airlines flight attendant reportedly suffered a concussion after being assaulted by a male passenger during a cross-country flight that was diverted last week, according to court documents obtained by NBC News on Monday (November 2).

Brian Hsu, 20, was charged with assault and interference with a flight crew in relation to the incident, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colorado -- where the flight was diverted -- confirmed.

The flight attendant was reported to have bled from her nose and experienced dizziness and nausea following the incident and later transported to a local hospital after the plane made an emergency landing in Denver, where doctors diagnosed her with a concussion.

Authorities said Hsu, who was traveling back to his Southern California home from New York after undergoing brain surgery on October 27, struck the flight attendant in the face when he got up to use the bathroom and stretch, according to a federal complaint obtained by NBC News.

The unidentified flight attendant told investigators she was struck in the head while speaking to another flight attendant.

The woman said she asked Hsu if he was alright and then told him to obey the seat belt sign and sit down before Hsu allegedly struck her head with his elbow and punched her in the face with a closed fist, which one witness described as a "full swing."

Another witness said Hsu was restrained with duct tape and plastic bonds after the incident took place, according to the court documents.

Hsu claimed the flight attendant became "agitated and began swinging" after he accidentally bumped her and raised his hands defensively fearing he'd be struck so soon after his brain surgery.

He also denied punching the flight attendant, who he instead claimed hurt her nose when it struck the palm of his hand while he protected himself from her charging at him.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Hsu would be banned from the airline's flights moving forward after what he described as the latest incident of the "very disturbing downside" of post-pandemic air travel.

NBC News reports federal investigators have looked into nearly 1,000 cases of "unruly" airline passenger behavior in 2021, after just 146 total were reported by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2019.