Dad of Three Dies After He’s Restrained for ‘Attacking’ Passenger and Flight Attendant

A father of three died after a chaotic midair incident on a UK-bound flight, where he allegedly attacked another passenger and a flight attendant before being restrained at the back of the plane.

Callum Kerr, 35, was accused of acting aggressively toward Jet2 cabin crew and passengers during a flight from Larnaca, Cyprus, to Manchester Airport on Monday morning, according to Greater Manchester Police.

Officers were called to the plane after reports that a passenger had assaulted another traveler and a member of the cabin crew.

When police boarded the aircraft, they found that passengers and crew had already restrained Kerr at the rear of the plane. Officers handcuffed him, but he was soon found unresponsive.

Kerr was rushed to a hospital, where he died the following day.

Witnesses told the Warrington Guardian that Kerr had been arguing with his girlfriend during the flight before cabin crew moved her to another seat. They also claimed Kerr, who had competed as a bare-knuckle fighter, headbutted another passenger before travelers stepped in to help restrain him.

Police said they are now trying to piece together exactly what happened during the flight and after officers arrived.

“An investigation is now under way to establish what happened during the flight and our specialist officers have been keeping them updated with all the information we know so far,” Chief Superintendent Mike Allen said.

Allen said investigators know many people on board witnessed the violence and disruption before police arrived.

“We know passengers and aircrew worked to detain the man to bring the incident to an end,” he said. “Our detectives are investigating this to understand the full circumstances.”

Because officers had contact with Kerr before his death, Greater Manchester Police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. The police watchdog said the officers who boarded the plane are being treated as witnesses, not subjects of the investigation.

Kerr’s death has left his family heartbroken.

“Callum was a family man, father to three beautiful young children, a lover of sport and with a heart of gold,” his family said in a statement.

Jet2 has not released further details about the incident, and the investigation remains ongoing.