Jody Armentrout was sitting in the exit row seating on Saturday when All Nippon Airways 114 moved from Tokyo to Houston, realising that the man was acting strangely.
ArmentRout has been in the Marine Corps for over 20 years, based in Japan and is trained to be vigilant. He says he saw the man take his backpack to one of the bathrooms, then leave to another bathroom, then go to another bathroom.
“He just threw my radar as he got out of there and started walking up and down the aisle,” ArmentRout, 50, said in a phone interview.
But then ArmentRout said he saw him looking at the emergency exit right next to him. ArmentRout said he stood up and placed himself between the man and the exit door.
At that moment, the man turned around, ran through the plane’s galley and darted towards the door at the other exit, Armentoru said. The sergeant knew there would be a few seconds he would act.
“He grabbed a strap around the door and pulled it away, when I took him and slapped him down and put it on the ground,” Amenluout said. “And then there was an older, awakened gentleman sitting by his side and he stood up and helped me.”
ArmentRout said the flight attendant handed him a zip tie and used it to place it around the man’s wrist and secure it in his seat. As a result of the incident, it was announced that the plane would be repurposed to Seattle, and Armentorout said he would be sitting next to the man until he landed at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
“His eyes – you can definitely say something is going on,” Armentroot said.
According to the airline, all Japan Airlines departed from Haneda Airport on Saturday morning, heading to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when passengers got “out of control.” Seattle Port Police told NBC News that passengers were trying to open the exit door while they were flying.
Police confirmed that passengers and squadrons had detained unidentified persons.
The flight landed in Seattle at 4:19am and the man got off the plane, police said. He was evaluated and police found him “having a medical crisis.” The man was later taken to a local hospital.
ArmentRout said he acted out of concern with fellow passengers, especially the multiple babies on board.
“I knew he was crazy, and at the end of the day I wanted to risk him saying, ‘I’m not doing anything.’
Other passengers on the flight took the time to thank Armentrout for taking action when he went, he said.
However, the flight’s potential did not cease there. When they reached the Tarmac in Seattle, another passenger “who was unhappy with the flight repurposed” punched the bathroom door, according to the FBI’s Seattlefield office.
According to FlightAware.com, the unidentified person was removed from the flight and eventually landed in Houston at 12:42pm on CT.
After finally reaching Houston, Armentruout is pleased that his feet are on the ground.
“It was a strange flight,” Armentruout said. He returned to Japan on Friday and added that he felt a little uneasy about the trip.
With what happened in mind, ArmentRout hopes others will continue to recognize their surroundings.
“In this world today, everyone wants to make sure they understand what time we are.
