PTC Web Desk: A 21-year-old Indian-origin man, Ishaan Sharma, was arrested in the United States after allegedly launching an unprovoked attack on a fellow passenger during a Frontier Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Miami earlier this week. According to reports by the New York Post, the incident took place shortly after takeoff on Monday, when Sharma allegedly grabbed passenger Keanu Evans by the throat and physically assaulted him without warning.
A video of the violent altercation, filmed by a fellow passenger, shows the two engaged in a brawl as other travellers and a flight attendant attempt to intervene. "You puny, mortal man... if you challenge me, it will result in your death," Evans recalled Sharma saying in a threatening tone.
He added that the accused had been muttering strange things and laughing darkly moments before the attack. Concerned, Evans pressed the call button to alert crew members — a move that allegedly triggered Sharma's aggression. Following the scuffle, Sharma was seen with a black eye and cuts on his eyebrow, while Evans sustained minor injuries. Upon landing in Miami, Sharma was taken into custody by the local authorities and faces the charges of battery.
In court, Sharma’s attorney argued that the 21-year-old was engaged in a meditative practice related to his religion, and that his silence and behaviour were misinterpreted as threatening. "My client was simply meditating. Unfortunately, the passenger behind him did not appreciate that," the lawyer stated.
However, the presiding judge found the explanation insufficient, setting Sharma’s bond at $500 and issuing a stay-away order that prohibits him from contacting Evans or approaching his residence, school, or workplace.
