American passenger arrested after fight on flight from Japan

NARITA, Japan -- An American passenger was arrested for choking an All Nippon Airways employee on a flight to Los Angeles from Japan.

Two passengers got into it before the plane took off from the Narita International Airport on Monday. Flight attendants intervened to break up the fight, but one man walked away for a moment, then turned around and started to throw more punches.

According to All Nippon Airways, the American passenger was a male in his 40s.

"The passenger did assault other passengers and an ANA employee," a spokesman said. "He was a safety threat to the passengers, removed from the flight and subsequently arrested by local law enforcement."

A witness said that the man yelled, "You think I'm crazy? What about the government!"

A Japanese news report said that the man was drunk, but ANA could not confirm that.

The airline released a statement about the incident:

"All Nippon Airways apologizes to our passengers on Flight#6 to Los Angeles for the pre-flight incident. The individuals involved have been dealt with appropriately by local law enforcement."