A passenger is facing federal charges after allegedly attacking a flight attendant and swallowing rosary beads while onboard a regional flight to Miami.
Delange Augustin, 31, was charged with misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor obstruction of police and a felony count of criminal property damage after a Monday altercation on an American Airlines flight from Savannah to Miami.
An arrest affidavit filed in Georgia federal court states that Augustin, one of eight passengers on an American Airlines flight, allegedly had a violent outburst against one of five crew members onboard.
Less than a minute after takeoff, a flight attendant allegedly noticed Augustin “in what appeared to be a fit of epilepsy.” When the attendant tried to check on him, Augustin allegedly “turned in his seat, lifted his legs, and kicked” the flight attendant in the chest, the affidavit says.
According to the affidavit, the force of the kick was so strong that it sent the flight attendant across the plane’s aisle, into the opposite row of seats and against the far window. Augustin then allegedly continued his aggression, punching and kicking the seat and passenger in front of him.
The flight’s pilots had overheard the altercation, ultimately deciding to turn the plane back around to Savannah Hilton Head airport, rather than continuing to Miami. Once the plane became redirected, Augustin seemed to calm down, the affidavit says.
Augustin, who was traveling with his sister Medjina Augustin, allegedly told Medjina that the pair were “on their way to Haiti to flee religious attacks of a spiritual nature,” the affidavit says.
Medjina told officers that before his outburst on the plane, her brother had turned to her and told her to “close her eyes and pray because Satan’s disciple(s) had followed them onto the plane,” the affidavit says.
The defendant’s sister told investigators that she had “never experienced as much darkness as was on the plane that evening,” the affidavit says, adding that she was not surprised by Augustin’s attack against the flight attendant because “he hurts evil.”
Augustin swallowed rosary beads at some point on the flight because the beads are “a weapon of strength in the spiritual warfare,” the affidavit says.
As Augustin had been exiting the flight, he again tried to attack a flight attendant, causing three other passengers to intervene. Airport police boarded the plane and subdued Augustin, the affidavit says.
The affidavit says Augustin was then transported to the hospital for evaluation and “the ingestion of rosary beads.” Soon after, he was transported to Chatham County Detention Center, where he was detained on Monday.
Augustin’s sister indicated to authorities that he was not suffering from any medical or mental health issues, the affidavit says. The affidavit says that the flight eventually departed back to Savannah after a 181 minute delay.
It is not immediately clear if Augustin has retained a lawyer and one is not listed for him in court records.
American Airlines said in a statement to NBC News that “safety and security are our top priorities” and that they “appreciate the professionalism of the entire crew and thank our passengers for their understanding.”
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