WATCH: ‘Very Calm’ Flight Attendant Punches Man Who Grabbed Woman’s Hair

An Alaska Airlines flight attendant took matters into his own fists when a passenger experienced a “violent medical episode” on February 1.

Flight 221 was scheduled to leave Oakland, California, and go to Portland, Oregon, when the incident happened, the New York Post reported on Sunday.

When a man sitting behind a female passenger suddenly grabbed her hair before the plane took off, a male flight attendant stepped in.

In video footage, the flight attendant is seen leaning over the man with one hand on the man’s head as he punches him forcefully with his other fist. “Let go of her hair!” a woman is heard saying in the background.

The flight attendant kept his cool as he continued punching the man in what appeared to be his shoulder. The man finally lets go of the woman’s hair and she sits up before moving to another seat.

The male passenger then appears to go rigid as he sits up and screams. The flight attendant keeps his hand on the man’s shoulder while telling other passengers, “I need another able-bodied male to come help me”:

The plane returned to the gate and the flight was canceled. The man was arrested.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported:

Alaska Airlines told DailyMail.com that the male passenger ‘appeared to be experiencing a violent medical episode that involved an ongoing physical assault against other passengers and our crew’.

‘Our flight attendants’ highest responsibility is the safety of guests and crew on board. Our crew responded to this chaotic situation quickly and kept all guests safe until law enforcement could intervene,’ the airline said, adding that the ‘guest in question has been banned from Alaska and Horizon due to the nature of the physical assault’.

Social media users shared their thoughts on the incident, one person writing, “The Alaska Airlines flight attendant did what he had to do to keep everyone safe.”

“He looks very calm doing this,” another user commented.