A stubborn man aboard a Jetstar flight was asked to return to his assigned seat. The man had moved seats so he could sit next to his friend, who was also taking the Australian flight. However, the 30-year-old passenger did not want to move to his assigned seat and resisted with all his might. Eventually, authorities on the plane removed a taser and zapped the 30-year-old Bolic Bet Malou for failing to follow orders, and he was taken off the plane and arrested.
After he was tasered on the Jetstar flight, Malou also had to deal with the police. Officers ultimately charged the 30-year-old stubborn passenger with disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer, and obstructing a public officer because he allegedly became abusive in more ways than one on the Jetstar flight JQ977 from Perth to Melbourne, Australia, scheduled for Saturday.
Apparently, Malou took a seat next to a passenger he was traveling with. However, this seat was not his assigned seat, so he was asked to go back to where he was supposed to be sitting. Things soon got heated, and the Australian Federal Police officers said that the situation escalated and they had to forcibly remove Malou from the flight since he would not comply with cabin crew orders or orders given to him by the police.
During the ordeal, police claimed that Malou assaulted a police officer. They also claimed that he resisted arrest during the fight to get him off the plane.
“Police were required to deploy a taser in order to restrain and arrest the man,” AFP said in a statement. “Three AFP officers sustained minor injuries that were later treated.”
Police are not going to allow passengers to mistreat other people on the flight, including officers of the law. Acting Superintendent Shona Davis said that illegal behavior like what Malou allegedly displayed is simply not to be tolerated in Australian airports or on planes.
“Simply put, we just need to treat each other the way we want to be treated – with respect and common decency,” she said. “Choosing to behave poorly on a flight affects not only your travel plans but also those of potentially hundreds of other people. This is why the AFP has no tolerance for poor behavior in our airports or on aircraft.”
Until the matter gets resolved, Malou was handed a no-fly order. Because of his unacceptable behavior, the other passenger who was traveling with Malou was also escorted off the plane, but that person was not arrested or charged in relation to the incident.
“The safety of our customers and crew is our number one priority, and while the vast majority of our customers behave well, we have zero tolerance for those who don’t,” a spokesperson said. “Our crew called the AFP for assistance when a customer (allegedly) became verbally and physically abusive after he repeatedly refused to follow their instructions to move to his assigned seat. After checking on the welfare of the remaining customers and crew onboard, the flight departed Perth approximately one hour after its scheduled departure time. We thank passengers for their patience as our crew worked with the AFP to manage the situation.”