Texas Man Arrested for Violent Assault on American Airlines Flight, References Trump During FBI Interrogation

A Texas man, Asterius Rulamka, has been arrested by the FBI for allegedly committing a violent assault on an American Airlines flight from Wichita to Washington Reagan National Airport. The incident occurred on March 5, 2025, just before landing.

Rulamka is accused of physically assaulting one passenger, attempting to strike another, and injuring a third, while also verbally abusing a flight attendant. During an FBI interrogation, he mentioned President Trump and stated he had come to D.C. to speak with him because he was “mad

Rulamka, seated in the 14th row, stood up before landing and threatened a flight attendant. He then attacked a passenger who was filming the incident, striking him multiple times near the eye, causing bruising and a bloodshot appearance. He attempted to assault another passenger but was restrained by three passengers and flight attendants

Rulamka faces a federal assault charge and is currently being held in custody. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, where the judge will decide whether he should remain in custody until trial

Rulamka was previously under investigation for an immigration violation in 2014, with those proceedings still ongoing