Brothers Arrested For Beating Up Pilot On MIA Flight

By Kyle Munzenrieder Thu., Jul. 28 2011 at 10:23 AM

Jonathan and Luis Baez

Brothers Jonathan and Luis Baez have been arrested after seriously beating up a pilot on a plane at Miami International Airport last night. The skirmish started after the flight crew ordered one brother off the flight because he appeared to be drunk or on drugs and ended in the terminal after the brothers had to be pulled off the pilot.

Both brothers were on an AmericanAirlines flight headed for San Francisco. As the flight was leaving its gate and preparing for takeoff, an attendant noticed that Jonathan Baez, 27, had fallen asleep without a seat belt on. She tried to wake him, but it appeared that he was under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. Unwilling to fly with Baez on board, the pilot returned to the gate. The pilot and attendant finally got Baez to wake, and that's when things got ugly.

As Jonathan was being taking off the plane, his brother, Luis Baez, 29, decided to get off the plane as well. Though, while exiting they both became belligerent.

"When you fly to San Juan I will have you killed," Luis reportedly told the pilot.

After being escorted off Luis then punched the pilot in his left eye. Jonathan hit the female flight attendant in the shoulder after she tried to intervene.

The two then continued to attack the pilot in a fight that went all the way from the jet bridge to the terminal.

Eventually other passengers and crew members were able to hold the brothers back before police arrived. Both have been charged with aggravated battery, and Luis will also face an aggravated assault charge.

Follow Miami New Times on Facebook and Twitter @MiamiNewTimes.

Tags:

Jonathan Baez, Luis Baez, Miami International Airport

We Recommend

Denise

i see a double standard. passengers who appear drunk are forbidden (rightly) from boarding a plane, but a pilot who is drunk can get in the cockpit. whats wrong with this picture? whose the biggest risk to everybody on board?

Marcw737

You sir are an uneducated moron who has no idea of the many checks and balances in place from the time a pilot checks in at the airport and interacts directly face to face with dozens of co-workers who would detect the smell of alcohol or any impairment for that matter, to the time when the airplane pushes back for takeoff. Although there have been random and seldom incidence involving alcohol and crew members, these are rare and infrequent and make up less than .10 of a percent of the pilot population. The men and women flying airplanes today are the past heroes that protected our country flying airplanes for the military, committed civilian pilots who generally sacrificed years of their lives to gain experience, competence, and maintain superior skill sets , have bi annual proficiency checks, random drug and alcohol screenings, FAA Inspectors randomly showing up to join pilots in the cockpit, the list goes on. I challenge you to find a better qualified, educated, safety minded group of professionals on the planet. And the fact is flying is a choice . If your dumb enough to have put yourself on an airplane with a glimmer of doubt as to the soberiety of the pilots, and ride to your destination with thoughts of the guys up front being drunk or inebriated, then you need to check yourself into rehab my friend because only a drunk idiot would bored an airplane with any doubt as to the safety of flight. May I recommend Alcoholics Anonymous to you my alcohol dependent friend.....

Marcw737

In addition the passengers were not forbidden from boarding, they passenger was on board and non responsive which may have created a safety issue airborne. Find a hobby d-bag..