UK Edition
Richard Marx restrains 'psycho' passenger on Korean Air flight
Grammy-winning musician Richard Marx stepped in to help restrain a passenger on a Korean Air flight who reportedly attacked flight attendants and other passengers.
The incident occurred aboard on a flight from Hanoi, Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday. Marx - known for hit singles including Hazard, Hold On to the Nights and Right Here Waiting - was travelling with his wife Daisy Fuentes when they noticed a fellow passenger beginning to behave erratically.
After the passenger reportedly started attacking crew, Mr Marx joined in efforts to subdue him. He later claimed that airline staff were “ill trained” and “ill equipped” to handle the situation. Flight attendants had a taser but, according to Ms Fuentes, did not know how to use it.
Ms Fuentes later posted photos of the fracas on Facebook, writing: "When (the man) started pushing the female staff and pulling them by the hair Richard was the first to help subdue him.
"This went on for FOUR hrs. I feel horrible for the abuse the staff had to endure but no one was prepared for this. They never fully got control of him. They didn't know how to use the taser & they didn't know how to secure the rope around him (he got loose from their rope restraints 3 times).
Mr Marx wrote on Facebook: "My wife and I are safe but one crew member and two passengers were injured.
"The all female crew was clueless and not trained as to how to restrain this psycho and he was only initially subdued when I and a couple other male passengers intervened.
"He then later easily broke his restraints and attacked more crew and another passenger. When we landed in Seoul police boarded the plane.
"Heading home to Los Angeles soon but Korean Air should be sanctioned for not knowing how to handle a situation like this without passenger interference."
A spokesman for the airline said: "According to the response protocol, Korean Air's flight attendants subdued the unruly passenger and tied him up with ropes.
"The unruly passenger was turned over to the police after arrival at Incheon Airport.
"The flight attendant did not fire the taser as the unruly passenger was moving around and there were other passengers near him. The flight attendant considered the safety of the other passengers and decided to restrain the passenger with ropes."