Man subdued with wine bottles after trying to exit Delta plane mid-flight

A passenger with unknown intentions caused panic on a Beijing-bound flight on Thursday after he tried to open an exit door midair before being subdued with passengers wielding wine bottles, according to the FBI.

Joseph Hudek IV was in the bathroom on a Delta Air Lines flight that had taken off from Seattle, when he came out and “lunged toward the forward right exit door of the aircraft, grabbed the handle” and tried to pull the door open, according to the FBI affidavit.

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Two flight attendants tried to stop Hudek, but were pushed away, and an attendant called for help from passengers.

The second flight attendant was knocked to the ground, another passenger assisted but was punched in the face and reportedly hit with a bottle of red wine by Hudek.

Hudek was able to raise the lever on the door halfway up. The door could have opened if the plane was flying lower, according to the flight crew.

A flight attendant smashed two wine bottles over his head, and other passengers joined in the fray, outnumbering him.

The pilot turned the plane back to Seattle during the incident.

The FBI affidavit reported a flight attendant and a passenger had to be taken to the hospital with “severe facial injuries.”

Delta released a statement confirming the “security incident.”

The U.S. attorney’s office has charged Hudek with interfering with a flight crew. 

The Washington Post first reported on the incident.