Man accused of punching, choking flight attendant on train at Denver airport

A Colorado man has been accused of choking and punching a flight attendant while he was on a concourse train with her inside of Denver International Airport.

The incident occurred on June 17 when Jeffrey Hiers was on the train with a Southwest flight attendant. He allegedly “punched her in her jaw and then placed his hands around her neck and started to choke her,” according to court records obtained by local NBC affiliate 9News.

Other passengers reportedly intervened at the time of the incident and “removed the defendant’s grasp from the victim and had him wait for the police to arrive,” the probable cause statement said, according to the news outlet.

Hiers was later arrested and booked in the city jail, 9News reported. He has since been released on a $1,500 bond and faces a misdemeanor assault charge.

It was unclear from the paperwork what prompted the attack.

In recent months, airlines have seen an increase in unruly passengers.

“These incidents have stemmed both from passengers’ refusals to wear masks and from recent violence at the U.S. Capitol,” the FAA noted in January.

On Monday, 10 different airline groups sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland asking him to prosecute violent passengers following multiple confrontational incidents.

“[T]he federal government should send a strong and consistent message through criminal enforcement that compliance with federal law and upholding aviation safety are of paramount importance,” the letter read.