A 21-year-old Indian-origin man from Newark, identified as Ishaan Sharma, was arrested following a violent mid-air incident aboard a Frontier Airlines flight. Sharma allegedly attacked a fellow passenger 'without provocation' during the flight from Philadelphia to Miami. He was taken into custody upon landing in Miami and later charged with battery.
According to reports, the altercation occurred shortly after takeoff when Sharma allegedly assaulted a passenger named Keanu Evans. The attack appeared unprovoked, and the confrontation quickly escalated into a physical brawl. As a result of the fight, Sharma suffered a black eye and a cut on his eyebrow, while Evans sustained minor scratches.
Evans later described the unsettling moments that led up to the incident. He told media outlets that Sharma, who was seated in front of him, began exhibiting erratic behaviour and making threatening remarks. “He was doing some, like, dark laugh like, ‘ha ha ha ha ha,’” Evans said in an interview with WSVN in Miami. “And he was saying things like, ‘You punt, mortal man, if you challenge me, it will result in your death.’”
Disturbed by Sharma's behaviour, Evans pressed the cabin crew assistance button. That action appeared to trigger Sharma, who allegedly turned around and grabbed Evans by the throat. A video of the incident, which has since circulated online, shows Sharma tackling Evans and putting his hands around his neck. In the footage, passengers can be heard gasping and shouting in alarm, with some pleading, “Let him go! Stop, let him go,” as the situation unfolded.
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While Evans managed to defend himself and fight back, the scuffle left both men with visible injuries. A mugshot released after the incident shows Sharma with a swollen, bruised eye and a cut above his eyebrow. Evans, speaking to WSVN, said he regretted the violent outcome but felt he had no choice. “It makes me feel bad because I don’t want people to get the wrong idea about who I am as a person,” he said.
Following the arrest, Sharma’s attorney offered a different account of events. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the attorney claimed that Sharma was merely meditating during the flight, a practice tied to his religious beliefs, and that Evans had misinterpreted his silent behavior as threatening.
“My client is from a religion where he was meditating. Unfortunately, the passenger behind him did not like that,” the lawyer said, suggesting the entire altercation was the result of a misunderstanding. Sharma remains in custody while authorities continue to investigate the incident.
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