Baltimore, Maryland – An Arizona man is facing indictment stemming from an attack of an airline passenger that forced an emergency landing at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI).
Layne Lundeen, 67, of Tucson, is charged with interfering with flight crew members and attendants and assaulting those individuals by striking, beating, and wounding in connection with the incident.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the indictment with Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office, and Colonel Nicholas Augustine, Maryland Transportation Authority Police (MDTA Police).
According to the indictment, on Sept. 3, 2026, Lundeen assaulted an airline passenger aboard a flight flying from Dallas, Texas, to Newark, New Jersey, resulting in the unscheduled landing in Baltimore. Lundeen also allegedly interfered with flight crew members or flight attendants attempting to perform their duties by intimidating the staff.
Specifically, Lundeen made physical contact with the flight attendant or flight crew member; disregarded instructions from flight attendants or flight crew members; directed abusive and aggressive language, including racial slurs, towards flight attendants or flight crew members; and engaged in disruptive and hostile behavior toward flight attendants, flight crew members, and other passengers.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. Individuals charged by indictment are presumed innocent until proven guilty at a later criminal proceeding.
If convicted, Lundeen faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for interference with flight crew members and attendants and a maximum of one year for assault by striking, beating, and wounding.
Actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties. A federal district court judge determines sentencing after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and MDTA Police, for their work in the investigation, along with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, for their valuable assistance. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ty Pittinger who is prosecuting the federal case.
For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md .
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Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Maryland — U.S. Department of Justice press release.