Man in reclining-seat fight on Southwest jet charged with assault

This undated photo provided by Southwest Airline shows a side view of seats on future Southwest planes. The airline announced Tuesday, April 14, 2015, that future planes will have seats that are a bit wider and C-shaped to give passengers in the next row a smidge more knee room. The BE Aerospace seats will start showing up on Southwest's new Boeing 737-800s in mid-2016 and the forthcoming 737-800 Max in 2017. (Southwest Airlines via AP) less This undated photo provided by Southwest Airline shows a side view of seats on future Southwest planes. The airline announced Tuesday, April 14, 2015, that future planes will have seats that are a bit wider ... more Photo: Southwest, Associated Press Photo: Southwest, Associated Press Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Man in reclining-seat fight on Southwest jet charged with assault 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

A Richmond man was arrested Wednesday on charges he choked and punched another passenger on a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco Southwest Airlines flight in October during a dispute that erupted over a reclined seat, officials said.

Lawrence Wells, 54, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles on a charge of assault.

According to the indictment, he choked and punched a woman on a late-night flight bound for San Francisco from Los Angeles International Airport on Oct. 18.

The incident began shortly after takeoff and was so extreme that the pilot turned the plane around because of what Southwest that day called a “rapidly escalating situation.” Passengers using social media described a scene where a man reacted violently after a woman in front of him reclined her seat.

Several police cars were waiting when the jet touched down on the runway.

The indictment charges that Wells “intentionally assaulted” the victim, identified only by the initials M.D., by choking and punching her with a closed fist, “resulting in serious bodily injury.”

If he is tried and convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

Wells appeared in court in Los Angeles on Wednesday, but was not asked to enter a plea.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @johnkingsfchron