Passengers restrain man accused of grabbing women on United flight

A belligerent passenger on a flight from Chicago to Orange County, Calif., was tackled by fellow fliers and arrested for allegedly interfering with flight crew members. The incident was caught on cell phone video. NBC's Tom Costello reports.  By Robert Kovacik and Jonathan Lloyd, NBCLosAngeles.com  Passengers used belts to restrain a man who was taken into custody Tuesday night after allegedly harassing people — including a woman who said he grabbed her hair and asked her to kiss him — aboard a flight from Chicago to Santa Ana, Calif.

Passenger Nona Pitts told NBC4 in Southern California that the man, identified by the FBI as 26-year-old actor-model Arash Durrani, sat across from her on United Airlines Flight 473. Pitts asked whether he was "on anything" because of his strange behavior.  This story originally appeared on NBCLosAngeles.com.  "He was kind of slurring his words," Pitts said. "He just goes, 'Why, you want some?"  "The stewardess came by and he said, 'I want another (Jack Daniels),'" she said. Pitts told the flight attendant she thought the man had enough to drink, but said he received "two more bottles of J.D."

Pitts, who owns an Orange County, Calif. salon, moved to a different seat, but Durrani followed her, she said.  "He grabs my hair and he goes, 'Nona, Nona, Nona, kiss me,'" said Pitts.  When the man started pacing and scaring children on the plane, passenger David Truong said he and other passengers took action and physically restrained the man with belts."He looked at every one of us and said, 'I'm going to kill you and your entire family,'" Truong said.  The man was restrained for nearly three hours.  Durrani, who also goes by "Ash," is listed as an actor in one movie that hasn't been released. His agent, Sheila Di Marco, said Wednesday she hadn't heard anything about the incident.  Durrani will be charged with a federal offense for interference with a flight crew, FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said.  

Durrani used to reside in Costa Mesa but now lives in Virginia. He was due back in Southern California for a criminal court appearance, according to the FBI.