Michael Kerr was pushing and screaming at the American Airlines crew before the pilot and co-pilot grounded him for good.
Captain’s orders: “You don’t put your hands on my flight attendant.”
Michael Kerr went ballistic aboard an American Airlines flight from Lexington, Kentucky, to Charlotte, North Carolina, on July 21, threatening and shoving a female flight attendant to the floor before the plane’s pilot grounded him.
The entire inebriated episode was caught on camera.
Just after accepting a proposal to marry his partner and downing three whiskeys, a slurring Kerr is seen disregarding the commands to all passengers by a flight attendant to remain buckled in their seats before deplaning at Charlotte Douglas International Airport at 10:21 a.m.
As the American Eagle Flight 5039 jet wheeled slowly toward Gate E3, according to the federal complaint filed in the Western District of North Carolina, a stumbling Kerr wobbled down the aisle and demanded VIP treatment to exit.
With the aircraft’s doors still locked shut, Kerr was rebuffed and “threatened” the flight attendant “by saying that he would break [her] jaw,” the complaint claims.
A video that was published on the Charlotte Observer’s website shows Kerr, with his dark, furry sideburned chops sporting a backward black baseball cap, black T-shirt, low riding jeans, and slinging a backpack off his left shoulder jousting with the pilot, who is only referred to as “N.B.” in the complaint.
“I said take a seat, sir,” the pilot sternly orders Kerr.
“Noooooooo,” the liquored up 36-year-old chef from Lexington told him. “I doooon’t want to take a seat—”
“I don’t care what you want to do, you’re going to take a seat right now,” the pilot shot back.
The video cuts to Kerr getting physical with the flight attendant who is trying to stop him from exiting plane.
“Uh-huh—you’re going to let me by,” Kerr said again, while sandwiched by the flight attendant and swaying in front of the captain.
According to the document Kerr was “verbally abusive to the flight crew” and “cursed at them” because he refused to return to his seat.
When he was told to go back he then became belligerent with a second flight attendant with the initials “F.L.”
“Kerr kicked [F.L.] in the right lower leg and then shoved [F.L.] to the floor of the plane,” the feds claim.
The flight attendant in the middle of the melee complained she had experienced “an injury to the left upper arm” when she was allegedly brought to the floor.
After more arguing, Kerr tries to bolt past the flight attendant and knocks her over.
That’s when pilot “N.B.” and co-pilot “J.R.” restrained him.
“Sit down. Sit down. Enough,” the pilot says as he gets Kerr down on the floor of the aisle. “You don’t put your hands on my flight attendant.
“Enough. You hear me?”
Kerr started flailing before he ultimately surrendered when quick-thinking passengers restrained him with their seatbelts, according to the complaint.
“Whatever you do is going on Facebook,” Kerr screamed “And you are in complete losers. Yeah! You heard me right the first time.”
Kerr worked as a chef at a high-end eatery called Portofino and was about to tie the knot with his partner.
On Facebook—just days after the event—the axed chef acted like nothing happened, posting about his future nuptials.
On July 23, Kerr posted: “Got Engaged to Matthew Stacy.”
Whatever happened on the plane clearly didn’t undo Kerr’s romantic life.
When a friend offered his Justice of the Peace duties to the engaged couple, Kerr chimes in: “no offense. We have to discuss that…”
That may be because he is now facing federal charges for interference with the performance or duties of a flight crew member or flight attendant. The assault could leave his future groom at the altar if he is convicted, as Kerr could serve as many as 20 years prison and be fined up to $250,000.
An American Airlines spokeswoman confirmed there was “a disruptive passenger” on board one of their flights but referred all questions to the feds.
On Monday, Kerr was released on $25,000 bail.
Read it here
Feature image courtesy thedailybeast
