VIDEO: Vicious brawl breaks out on Southwest flight bound for Oakland
BURBANK, Calif. (KGO) -- A vicious fight broke out on a Southwest flight as it was taxiing in Burbank, as one man was seen repeatedly punching another before passengers were able to pull him away.
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The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault and battery, while police said the victim suffered a contusion to his left eye, a laceration to his nose and a chipped tooth.
Burbank police identified the suspect as Chaze Mickalo Cable, 37, of Lancaster. He was arrested for assault and battery and held on $50,000 bail.
"I realized the stewardess was screaming and yelling for help," said Fire Captain Dan Green of Santa Clara. "I pulled one of the gentlemen off, the one that was on top. I pulled him off and then separated him and started moving him to the front of the plane."
Green says the worst part was that a flight attendant got caught in the middle. "She was being pummeled at the same time as the other guy was being pummeled."
Michael Kraus shot the video. "I was trying to help someone down with their bag and I turned around and saw the shorter of the two gentlemen had the other guy pinned against the overhead bin," he said.
In video captured by other passengers, the suspect is seen wrestling with another man as a woman screams "Get off, what is wrong with you!" and tries to pull him away.
Airport police responded and arrested Cable, then turned him over to the Burbank Police Department.
It wasn't immediately clear what started the fight or if the two men knew each other prior to the flight.
Flight 2530 on Sunday had arrived from Dallas and was stopping in Burbank before heading to Oakland. The fight occurred as passengers were preparing to deplane.
A Santa Clara man stepped in to help break up the fight.
In a statement, Southwest said the altercation actually involved three passengers and thanked its employees for intervening.
"Our employees are our everyday heroes and are trained to de-escalate conflict while delivering heartfelt hospitality on nearly 4,000 flights to nearly the half-million customers who fly Southwest every day," the airline said.
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In this case, it was Green who came to the rescue -- motivated in part by the fact that his son was also on the plane. "Something needed to be done," Green told ABC7 News. "I figured if somebody didn't do anything, then, not just his safety but everybody else's safety could be jeopardized."
