A man charged in the assault of a flight attendant on an American Airlines plane had to be restrained by fellow passengers and cuffed to a seat

• Passengers helped crew to restrain a 33-year-old man on an American Airlines flight on Wednesday.

• Alexander Tung Cuu Le, 33, has been charged with one count of interference with flight crew members.

• He has been permanently banned from flying with the airline.

Passengers on an American Airlines plane helped cabin crew restrain a man after he allegedly punched a flight attendant in the back of the head on Wednesday, officials said.

A Department of Justice news release disclosed that passengers aboard the flight to Los Angeles airport helped to apprehend Alexander Tung Cuu Le after he was seen striking the flight attendant.

An FBI affidavit said Le was then moved to another row over safety concerns and had his hands and legs cuffed. Le continuously unbuckled his seatbelt, leading crew members to further restrain him with seatbelt extenders.

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The 33-year-old from Westminster in Orange County, California was detained upon landing at LAX and taken into custody by the Federal Bureau of Investigation because the incident occurred in the air.

Le was charged with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, the DoJ said.