A passenger arrested in May for banging on the cockpit door of an American Airlines flight to San Francisco from Chicago was ruled mentally incompetent to stand trial.
A federal judge ruled Thursday that Rageh Almurisi, 28, must spend four months in treatment before his mental state can be re-evaluated, according to the San Mateo County Times.
Almurisi was wrestled to the ground and put in handcuffs on May 9 after he made his way to the front of the cabin near the cockpit door of American Airlines flight 1561 and started pounding on the door. The flight was approaching San Francisco.
The door was locked and the passenger became unruly, said American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Fagan in May. A flight attendant wrestled Almurisi to the ground with the help of two passengers. They subdued him and put him into plastic cuffs.
Almurisi was turned over to San Francisco police and the TSA after the plane landed safely at San Francisco International Airport. A crew of six was aboard along with 156 passengers.
Almurisi has pleaded not guilty to federal charges of interfering with a flight crew.
