Bay Area man arrested after allegedly assaulting flight attendants after takeoff: feds

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A Northern California man has been arrested on a federal complaint alleging he assaulted Frontier Airlines flight attendants after takeoff, forcing the San Francisco-bound flight to divert to another airport, federal authorities announced Thursday.

The Fremont man, 30, is charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, said the U.S. Justice Department in a news release. He was arrested Wednesday.

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The passenger allegedly shouted obscenities at flight attendants, attempted to choke a flight attendant, kicked another attendant in the leg and said he was going to kill everybody on the Sept. 9 flight out of John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.

Passengers helped restrain the man, and the flight was diverted to Ontario International Airport because crew did not feel safe trying to put him back in his seat.

He faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.