An Arizona real estate executive has been fired from his position after an alleged mid-flight outburst involving racist and homophobic slurs led to him being duct-taped and zip-tied to his seat on a commercial flight.
Arthur Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, was terminated from his role as a vice president at Long Realty following the incident aboard American Airlines Flight 618 from Dallas to Newark. The flight was forced to make an emergency diversion to Baltimore after Lundeen engaged in an obscene outburst, during which he hurled racial slurs at a flight attendant and shouted homophobic insults at surrounding passengers.
Following the public revelation of the disruption, the real estate firm severed ties with Lundeen and scrubbed his executive profile from its company website and professional networks.
The incident unfolded when fellow passengers intervened to subdue Lundeen after he became increasingly belligerent toward crew members and nearby travelers. Former law enforcement officer Juan Mejia and his friend, Richard Olenick, restrained Lundeen in his seat using duct tape and zip ties to prevent further escalation until the aircraft could safely land.
Video footage from inside the cabin showed Lundeen bound to his seat across his torso, head, and hands.
American Airlines confirmed that the flight landed in Baltimore due to a disruptive customer, where local authorities met the plane and escorted Lundeen off the aircraft before the flight continued to its destination.
The FBI confirmed that Lundeen was taken into custody by the Maryland Transportation Police and subsequently charged at the state level with second-degree assault and disorderly conduct.
Federal authorities noted that the FBI is conducting interviews to determine whether additional federal charges will be filed in coordination with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.