It took two airline employees and some passengers on Hawaiian Air’s flight from Pago Pago to Honolulu Monday night to restrain a passenger who is now behind bars facing federal charges.
Aumoeualogo Agaaoa Togia appeared in the Honolulu Federal District Court today charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants, a crime which carries a maximum jail sentence of 20 years,
According to court filings, the Hawaiian Airlines captain said in an interview with the FBI that at about 3 am on Tuesday he was advised by the lead flight that there was a passenger disturbance in the cabinet.
This led him to declare a threat level 1 with a cockpit lock-down.
The threat level was later upgraded to threat level 2 when the captain was informed that the passenger engaged in physical abuse.
The captain said Togia went into rages which required the use of restraining ties.
A flight attendant identified in court papers as I.S. said in an interview with the FBI when she entered the cabin, a male passenger was yelling and two Hawaiian Air load planners on either side of him were trying to calm him.
The load planners were unable to calm the erratic passenger, then they tried to put restraints on him with the help of two other passengers.
The flight attendant is cited in court papers saying the passenger was being physical and yelling threats at the load planners. He even bit them, one on the thigh.
When they finally managed to restrain the defendant, the flight attendant grabbed a mask to put on him so he wont bite again.
The flight attendant says the man continued to fight throughout the flight and the restraints were not removed until the Hawaiian Air flight arrived in Honolulu and FBI agents boarded the plane and handcuffed Togia.
Court documents say one of the load planners who was interviewed by the FBI said the defendant was in the mid gallery when he approached him.
The first thing he noticed was the smell of alcohol on his breath,.
He claimed Togia was not obeying flight attendants instructions to take his seat due to the seat belt sign being illuminated.
After talking with the passenger for more than half an hour, he became violent, punching the restroom door and telling the load planner if he touched him and his kids “I will kill you.”
When the defendant was interviewed, he claimed he didn’t know what happened on the flight and maybe he had a blackout.
He said he had two beers prior to boarding the flight but admitted to drinking multiple small bottles of alcohol.
He said he remembers “talking story with the flight crew and the next thing he knew they ambushed him and so he fought back.”
He later said he did not remember any details between talking with the crew members and being restrained.
Togia claimed he did not know what had happened, he “might have been blacked out, out of his mind.”
At the same time he admitted to being a bad drunk, according to the court filings.
Togia, who’s being held at the federal detention center near Honolulu International Airport, and will have a detention hearing Friday.
