Wichita man sentenced after assaulting flight attendant, causing emergency landing

A 25-year-old Wichita man was sentenced Tuesday after assaulting a crew member and causing an emergency landing of American Airlines Flight 3359 on May 27, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Connecticut.

Julius Jordan Priester, who pleaded guilty Oct. 1 to interference with a flight crew member, was sentenced in federal court in Connecticut to one year of probation and a $500 fine, the U.S. Attorney’s office said.

The flight took off about 9:30 p.m. from Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and was headed for Chicago. About 30 minutes into the flight, Priester stood up, took his shirt off and then ran to the back of the plane while yelling “help me,” court documents say.

Priester then grabbed the flight attendant by the shirt collar and shouted “you’re coming with me” and brought the victim to the ground and tried to drag them up the aisle, the documents say.

He held the victim on the ground while the flight crew yelled at him to stop.

“As this incident was occurring, another flight attendant notified the captain, who declared an emergency, and the flight was diverted back to Bradley Airport,” court documents say.

Passengers helped put Priester back in his seat.

“While under watch of one of the intervening passengers, PRIESTER continued to act in an erratic manner, grabbing and holding onto the arm of the passenger and making incoherent statements,” the documents say.

He was taken to a local hospital and then arrested.