A female passenger on a flight to Japan from Hawaii was sexually assaulted by another passenger in the plane’s bathroom.
The woman, who remains unidentified, went to use the bathroom an hour and 45 minutes into the flight when Michael Tanouye followed her. Tanouye pulled down his pants in an attempt to rape her. As the woman fought him off, passengers raced to the door to unscrew the hinges and save the woman.
FBI agents arrested Michael Tanouye Saturday night at Honolulu International Airport for interfering with a flight crew and aggravated sexual assault aboard an aircraft.
The flight was en route to Kansai International Airport when Tanouye forced his way into a bathroom and sexually assaulted a woman, according to an FBI affidavit. The woman, who was returning home to Japan with her mother after a four-day vacation in Hawaii, went to use the restroom after takeoff. Tanouye forced his way inside, grabbed her by the shoulders and began to forcefully pull down her pants and underwear. “Tanouye also began to take down his pants and underwear, exposing his penis,” the document said.
While struggling with Tanouye the woman was able to push the bathroom’s emergency button. The woman’s “mother, the flight attendants and other passengers tried to open the lavatory door but were unable because Tanouye was blocking the door, FBI Special Agent Necosie Wilson wrote in the affidavit. They had to open the door by removing screws from its hinges.
Tanouye’s mother claims that her son is currently battling depression. She allowed him to walk around in the cabin to calm his nerves. She also informed a stewardess not to serve the 29-year-old alcohol since he was taking medication.
Police are looking into the case to see if Tanouye was under the influence of anything else besides his medication.
He is expected to be arraigned in court this week.
SOURCE: Huffington Post | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
