Houston man stops mid-air assault

Airline: Unruly passenger assaulted flight attendant

HOUSTON – A Houston man was called a hero after he took down an unruly passenger during his flight Monday.

Ben Harwood Rose, of Houston was on board U.S. Airways flight 500 from Los Angeles to Phoenix.  He said the plane was full.  He had just woken up from a nap when a man ran up the aisle.

"The flight attendant gets this sudden look of terror in his face and flies back about five, six, seven feet and everything just flies off of the food cart and in my direction," said Rose.  "I hear all of these screams.  No one knows what's going on. everyone's thinking there's a terrorist on board the flight."

Rose was afraid the man would try to get into the cockpit.  He said the man threw a punch.  Rose took the man down and other passengers helped hold him until landing.  Rose said some people called him a hero.  He said he had no choice.

"I was the only person who had the ability to stop him. And if I didn't stop him the flight attendant would be dead. He would be dead. Regardless of that man's intentions. So, I saved a man's life," Rose said.

US Airways confirmed that the Phoenix Police met the plane and arrested the man.  Rose said FBI agents interviewed him and the unruly passenger.