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Disruptive passenger didn't count on black belt "fight attendant"
Rarely do you hear the words "At that point, I just put him into a choke hold" coming from a flight attendant. According to reports, halfway into the flight, Mr. Chan started losing his mind - screaming, banging on the bathroom doors and opening compartments in the rear of the plane.
He then went into a bathroom and came out with his pants down. It was at this point that flight attendant Lorin Gorman told him to sit down. When he refused, he also made a threatening motion to her - so she put him in an arm lock, jumped on him, and put him in a choke hold.
The plane was diverted to Pittsburgh where Chan was arrested and charged with disrupting a flight attendant. He now faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Poor Mr. Chan obviously had not expected to run into a fourth-degree Tae Kwon Do expert on his flight. She credits her post-9/11 special training for her skills and ability to deal with small spaces.
Filed under: North America, United States, Airports
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Unexpected Traveller Feb 8th 2010 1:25PM
Damn - you go girl!
We sure needed someone like that on one past flight of mine: http://unexpectedtraveller.wordpress.com/2010/01/14/passenger-power/
The Unexpected Traveller
Portia Feb 9th 2010 10:06AM
This story is pure junk through and through. In an effort to show what a "hero" the flight attendant was, the author skewed the entire story.
Firstly, doctors don't dole out medical marijuana prescriptions like candy--you have to have late-stage cancer or other MAJOR debilitating illness where you are suffering from extreme pain or wasting. This poor man may have taken too many of his other medications and became psychotic.
Secondly, Mr. Chan, who the flight attendant so victoriously overtook, is more thank likely fragile and weak from his chemo, his drug protocol and the effects of some major illness. I don't think he put up much of a fight in his condition.
Whoopee for the flight attendant--she was able to overtake a man who is seriously ill and had a bad side-effect from medication. What a "hero" she must feel like.
josh Feb 9th 2010 11:16AM
Freaking out in the manor suggested from marijuana alone isn't at all likely. If anything were to happen from "taking too much" the man would have passed out. A more likely alternative to the stories "BS" is that the man consumed the marijuana (I'm assuming he ate it on a plane) after taking another prescription with these possible side effects, which may have caused them to come out.
I do agree the flight attendant deserves praise though, assuming the guy was as out as hand as the article makes it sound.
The whole go snort some coke comment was rude. Not everybody that knows about drugs does them, and not everybody that smokes pot snorts coke.
Barry Feb 9th 2010 12:26PM
pure propaganda. That is not the reaction of anyone who has done too much marijuana,,,medicinal or otherwise. Drugs...yes. But not marijuana. Rubbbish!!!!
gojo Feb 9th 2010 12:30PM
For the last time, please, please, please let's all stop saying, "You go girl" just because she does something a prissy girl wouldn't normally do. Big deal.
Ken Feb 9th 2010 1:14PM
Hey Josh and Bary! the point is the DANGER that was created! NOT whether he was on weed or Rx medication. The Flight Attendant is STILL a hero. If you notice no one is taking crap from unruly passengers. The guy needed to be stopped!@!!! I don't want to crash for some pothead...over medicated...or deranged who is out of control. She didn't hurt him. She just stopped him. Is she supposed to just be a "woman" and cower from him? Instead of arguing whether he was on weed ....just accept he was out of line...could have cause serious problems. I bet if the passengers got to him first he would have needed someone to fix his broken bones.
Rob Feb 10th 2010 11:18PM
If the airline were smart they would have DOJ develope a two week training hand to hand course at FBI training Center at Quantico. If you know how to do it, leverage doesn't take much to take down a person (of any size) even in close quarters. Not to minimize what the Flight attendant did in any way, it took courage and training. Unfortuneately in todays society there are either unruly people or potential terrorists around every corner. We all need to be more vililant than ever.
Bubba Feb 9th 2010 6:17AM
What part of sit didn't he understand? The lady said sit,she meant SIT.
Rover Feb 9th 2010 12:33PM
Arf, arf!
Don Feb 9th 2010 6:25AM
He must have been a small, non-violent man, even though disruptive.
Wish Belkin Feb 9th 2010 10:39AM
If he had doubled up on his pot, he would have just asked for a cartoon and a bag of Oreos.
Gone_Wild Feb 9th 2010 7:12AM
It was more than medical marijuana that caused this freak to flip out. I promise.
Doyle Feb 9th 2010 2:21PM
"Medical marijuana" is a contradiction in terms.
Matt Feb 9th 2010 7:31AM
Hm....Does the writer NEED to say that he "Doubled up on his Medical Marijuana"? If he has a need for medical marijuana he's probably on something else...Back when I smoked, it took an act of congress to get me off the couch...Let alone to be disruptive...but it will come back to Marijuana being the devil's drug again....
THE ICEMAN Feb 9th 2010 10:16AM
Amen brother
dtt Feb 9th 2010 7:37AM
All the more reason to legalize that crap 'eh ?
Do not incarcerate him !
Just shoot him and be done with it !
That might just stop any future stupid acts of violence !!
Mike Feb 9th 2010 8:50AM
Marijuana has had a very bad rap since they started brainwashing sheep like you in the '30s with "reefer madness". More recent legitimate studies have proven it to be a fantastic all natural medicine that has ZERO long term side effects (when eaten), when smoked the possible side effects are the same as cigarettes. Being an ex-pothead of nearly 20 yrs I've been in the culture and met many smokers, NONE of which have ever displayed violent behavior while stoned. On the other side of it, I drove a taxi in the Hamptons for a summer driving your snotty little kids from club to club and saw more drunken attacks and destructive behavior than ever in my life. So sip your scotch and hop in your SUV to mow down some innocent children while HIGH on your legal drug and try not to make yourself sound moronic by speaking about things you have no clue about.
BC Feb 9th 2010 1:48PM
Hey DTT, you're an idiot
BILL Feb 9th 2010 7:40AM
TO: KERRY:
TO STOP THE RINGING IN THE EARS GET OFF THE DRUGS. IT TAKES ABOUT 4 DAYS WITH A GRADUAL SILENCE.
Gil Feb 9th 2010 7:42AM
I believe the lady said sit down. Good for her and I would think from a laymen's standpoint that his 'MEDICINE', was doctored a little to heavy with other stuff. I hope he get the full extent of the law. Why is he on that medicinal stull in the first place? Doubling MaryJane doesn't usually cause that sort of behavior. It usually puts the user in a comatose position. Well I'm glad the F. A. used her training. Give her a raise and a medal.