Passenger describes moments when man attacks attendant on Miami-bound flight, swallows rosary beads
A Savannah, Georgia flight bound for Miami hit turbulence just moments after takeoff, and we're not talking about the skies.
"Myself and my friend were talking and we're like, 'We're going to have to take this guy down,'" said Rob Rosenberg.
Rosenberg was on a Monday night flight when he said a man — later identified as 31-year-old Delange Augustin — started violently shaking and screaming moments after takeoff. Rosenberg told CBS News Miami the crew and passengers initially thought Augustin was having a seizure.
"He started stomping his feet violently, like heavily and screaming -- it was kind of a chant," he said. "He was talking about devils and possession. You have to kind of see it to believe it sort of thing."
The criminal complaint said that when "Flight Attendant 2 approached Augustin to check his welfare, Augustin turned in his seat, lifted his legs, and kicked Flight Attendant 2 in the chest."
"He was being so violent, you were like, this is not normal, he doesn't care anymore," Rosenberg said.
Police said that after he kicked the flight attendant, the pilot decided to turn the plane back to Savannah. But, Rosenberg told CBS News Miami the man continued causing a scene by kicking the back of another passenger's seat.
"Destroyed this other man's seat, like he kicked it and punched it and just buckled the seat completely over," he said.
Rosenberg said once they were grounded, Augustin once again became violent.
"He just charged the front doors of the plane, like swinging wildly," he said.
That's when Rosenberg, his friend and another man took Augustin down.
Rosenberg said Augustin swallowed rosary beads while on the ground and was gripping onto his sister during the takedown.
"She had a bun in her hair, and he grabbed a hold of her bun in her hair, and he grabbed her pants, and he wouldn't let her go," he said. "So, they tased him, once, twice, three times. He still didn't let go. At that point, they had to cut the woman's hair to make him let go."
Rosenberg said Augustin was arrested while his sister sang what sounded like hymns.
"They were possessed. That was a very, very, very disturbing scene. I've seen a lot of stuff in my life, but that was probably the most disturbing thing I've ever seen," he said.
According to the arrest affidavit, Augustin told his sister on the plane that they were going to head to Haiti to flee religious attacks of a spiritual nature. It also said Augustin told his sister that Satan's disciples followed them onto the plane.
He's facing several charges, including misdemeanor battery, misdemeanor obstruction of police and a felony count of criminal property damage.
