Attack on flight attendant forces Delta flight back to Seattle Beijing-bound Delta Airlines flight returns to Sea-Tac after airborne altercation

A Delta Airlines flight had to make a quick, unscheduled return to Sea-Tac Airport Thursday night after passenger attacked a flight attendant on the Beijing-bound flight.

Sea-Tac Airport spokesperson Perry Cooper said a man aboard Delta flight 129 assaulted the flight attendant about 45 minutes after takeoff. Passengers helped restrain the 23-year-old Florida man until the plane landed safely back in Seattle around 7 p.m.

"The passenger was restrained on board and was removed from the flight by law enforcement without further incident,” a Delta spokesperson said following the incident.

The flight attendant and another person were injured and taken to the hospital. Port of Seattle Police Department officers responded to the plane and arrested the man.

Photo: Getty Images A Delta Airlines flight had to make a quick, unscheduled return to...

Speaking with Seattle's KIRO/7, a passenger said the man charged toward an exit door before the fight broke out.

"He was going back and forth to the bathroom and then he started going toward the exit door," the passenger told KIRO's Natasha Chen. "They broke two bottles of wine on his head. ... I tried to choke him and he just threw me off like a rag doll."

The FBI is investigating. A Port of Seattle spokesperson said the FBI does not believe the incident to be a national security threat.

The flight was expected to depart again at 11:59 p.m.

MORE FROM SEATTLEPI: Delta adds more flights from Seattle

MORE FROM SEATTLEPI: Delta names jet for Seattle

NEW: Flight path of @Delta #Flight129 shows turning point north of Vancouver Island following passenger incident. Flight time: 105 minutes. pic.twitter.com/zHeypANVqx — Morgan Chesky (@BreakingChesky) July 7, 2017

FBI spokeswoman Ayn Dietrich-Williams described the investigation as ongoing. The suspect is expected to appear Friday afternoon in U.S. District Court at Seattle.

This report contains information from KOMO News, SeattlePI’s news partner.

Seattlepi.com reporter Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or levipulkkinen@seattlepi.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.