Cody Lovins caught on video punching United employee charged

A Texas man has been charged with battery and banned from flying with United after he was caught on video allegedly punching an airline worker aboard a plane.

Cody Lovins, 47, from Montgomery, was arrested at San Francisco International Airport’s Terminal 3 early Monday in connection with the “physical altercation” that took place on a United flight from San Francisco to Houston before takeoff, police said.

Viral footage recorded by eyewitness Naya Jimenez showed a man in a blue t-shirt, later identified as Lovins, repeatedly striking a crew member during a fight over a seat.

According to police, Lovins was cited for battery and then released. United Airlines said the passenger was banned from all future flights with the carrier over his “unacceptable” behavior.

Jimenez, who recorded the video of the melee, told the station KTRK that the situation began unfolding during boarding just before midnight Sunday.

According to the woman, Lovins flew into a rage after she asked his wife and then him to move out of her assigned seat.

“They had to bring in a gate attendant to try to talk to both of them,” she said.

The 47-year-old man, who Jimenez said was “slurring his speech a little bit,” then proceeded to repeatedly punch the airline employee, as seen in the video.

“Oh my God! Stop! Stop!” other travelers on the plane are heard crying out in the footage.

According to Jimenez, the already chaotic situation took an even more dangerous turn when Lovins opened an emergency exit, planning to jump out of the plane.

The passenger said crew members ran up to the man just in time and pulled him back to safety.

After Lovins was removed from the flight over his disruptive actions, police said they caught up with him in the airport terminal and detained him for battery – a misdemeanor charge that carries a sentence of up to six months in California.

In the wake of the incident, Lovins has been barred from ever flying United.

“This customer’s behavior was unacceptable, and he has been banned from future United flights and we are working with local law enforcement in their investigation,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.