A belligerent passenger who was duct-taped and zip-tied after hurling slurs on an American Airlines flight was fired from an Arizona realty company over his “concerning criminal charges.”
Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, was axed from his job as a real-estate agent at the Tucson-based company Long Realty after he was identified as the lunatic who hurled the N-word at a flight attendant and shouted anti-gay insults on American Airlines flight 618 Thursday night.
“Long Realty is aware of reports concerning criminal charges filed against a former affiliated real estate agent arising from an incident that allegedly occurred during a commercial flight,” Long Realty wrote in a statement on Facebook Sunday.
“Upon learning of the incident, Long Realty promptly ended its affiliation with the individual. The individual is no longer associated with or authorized to represent Long Realty in any capacity,” the company said.
“The conduct described in the reports is wholly inconsistent with the professionalism, integrity, compassion, and respect for others that Long Realty expects from those affiliated with the company.”
We expect those associated with our company to uphold those values, and we have no tolerance for conduct that so clearly falls short of those expectations,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew members, and others affected by this incident.”
Lundeen’s LinkedIn said he was a vice president at Long Realty in Tucson. However, his profile had been scrubbed from the company site.
Traveler Juan Mejia, a former law enforcement officer who was on board the flight from Dallas to Newark, told ABC News he and his friend Richard Olenick jumped into action when they heard Lundeen, two rows behind them, becoming “belligerent” at the end of the flight.
“[The] gentleman sitting two rows behind us started becoming belligerent, making derogatory remarks to the staff of American Airlines and other passengers, racial slurs, vulgar language, very offensive to the women” sitting in the row behind Lundeen, Mejia said.
Olenick said Mejia “got up right away and jumped in the seat right next to the passenger and began working on restraining him in order to keep the situation contained.”
Insane photos show Lundeen’s head, hands, and torso duct-taped haphazardly to the chair and his wrists bound together in an attempt to restrain him.
The flight was diverted to Baltimore due to a “disruptive customer,” and Lundeen was removed from the plane and arrested upon landing, before passengers could continue to their destination, American Airlines told The Post.
The FBI confirmed Lundeen was arrested by Maryland Transportation Police.
The bigoted ex-realtor was hit with state-level charges of second-degree assault and disorderly conduct, court records show.
“The FBI is currently conducting interviews to gather the facts and will consult with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland to determine if federal charges will be filed,” the bureau said.
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