A Japan Airlines flight was forced to return to Honolulu International Airport after a male passenger attempted to sexually assault another passenger in the plane's bathroom, with crew members having to pull the lavatory door off its hinges to finally stop the attack, the FBI said.
Michael Tanouye, 29, was arraigned Tuesday and charged for interfering with a flight crew and aggravated sexual assault aboard an aircraft, Hawaii News Now reported. The attack could mean a maximum sentence of life in prison for the Hawaiian man.
On Saturday, the international flight was en route to Japan's Kansai International Airport when Tanouye forced his way into the plane's bathroom about two hours into the journey. Inside was a bewildered female passenger, who was traveling back home to Japan with her mom after a four-day vacation in Hawaii, according to an FBI affidavit.
"Prior to the incident, Tanouye was heard shouting something incomprehensible and his mother told a flight attendant he suffers from depression and is on medication," Fox News reported. "He stood up to walk around and appeared calm, telling flight attendants he was going to visit his grandmother. Flight attendants agreed not to serve him alcohol because he was on medication."
Once he made his way into the restroom, Tanouye started trying to undress the woman and eventually exposed himself in the process. The struggle, however, made it possible for the woman to push the bathroom's emergency call button, alerting flight attendants and the woman's mother, Fox News reported.
But since the lavatory door remained blocked due to the 29-year-old's weight against it, passengers and crew members were forced to open the door by unscrewing it from its hinges, FBI Special Agent Necosie Wilson wrote in the affidavit. After finally breaking inside, several people managed to subdue Tanouye.
After the incident, the plane was immediately diverted back to Honolulu, with the suspect falling asleep after his mother gave him a dose of his medication, police said.
The suspect was then arrested by FBI agents after the plane landed, said Special Agent Tom Simon, spokesman for FBI in Honolulu, New York Daily News reported.
Currently, he is being held without bail at the Honolulu Federal Detention Center. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for interfering with a flight crew and life in prison for aggravated sexual assault.
