An angry passenger on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. attempted to open the plane’s door, forcing the jet to divert to Kansas City, Missouri on Sunday.

According to a spokeswoman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the customer attempted to unlock the forward passenger door before a flight attendant used a coffee pot to subdue the individual.

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“It felt like the plane was free falling and many feared the worst because people weren’t fully aware of what was unfolding,” A passenger on the flight, who identified the attacker as a middle-aged man, tweeted that he wasn’t entirely aware of what was going on. While passengers restrained the man, the flight attendant allegedly beat him multiple times with the coffee pot.

The flight was diverted “due to an unruly passenger displaying erratic behavior, who was ultimately subdued by our crew and with the help of other passengers. The flight landed safely at Kansas City International Airport, and law enforcement met the flight on arrival.” The airline expressed gratitude for the passengers on the flight who helped the crew.

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The man had attempted to open the plane’s door as well as the cockpit door, according to the passenger.

According to the FBI, the suspect has been apprehended.

On Sunday afternoon, the jet made a quick and abrupt turn to land at the Kansas City airport, according to a flight radar tracker. The flight, American Airlines 1775, had taken off from Los Angeles earlier in the day.

The flight attendants’ union demanded that such acts of violence cease.

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 “APFA will continue to collaborate with other Flight Attendant and Customer Service Agent Unions, the Department of Transportation, the Federal Aviation Administration, and Congress to ensure these offenders are prosecuted to the full extent of the law with appropriate fines, criminal penalties, and applicable flying bans,” it said in a statement.

According to a poll conducted by the Association of Flight Attendants last summer, 85 percent of flight attendants interacted with rowdy customers in 2021, with nearly one in five experiencing physical situations.