A 29-year-old Hilo man will be arraigned Tuesday in federal court for allegedly sexually assaulting a female passenger on a flight to Japan on Saturday night.
Michael Tanouye was arrested after the Japan Airlines flight was diverted two hours back to Honolulu. He has been charged with interfering with a flight crew and aggravated sexual assault aboard an aircraft.
According to the FBI, Tanouye forced his way into one of the plane’s lavatories while a female passenger, identified as a Japanese national, was trying to exit.
The female, age unknown, pushed an emergency button inside the lavatory.
Tanouye was blocking the door but the female’s mother, a flight attendant and other passengers were able to open it by removing the screw from the door’s hinges.
Three male passengers subdued him. One was injured in the process.
Tanouye was acting strange during the flight and was seen loitering near the lavatories, witnesses told investigators.
Earlier, he had shouted something incomprehensible, according to one witness.