Man Arrested After Allegedly Assaulting Woman in Toilet During Flight

A man has been arrested after he allegedly assaulted a woman in the toilet of an airplane, two hours into a flight. Michael Tanouye (29), from Hawaii, was reportedly hanging around the toilets on the Japan Airlines flight from Honolulu to Osaka when a Japanese woman entered the cubicle. He forced his way in after her and locked the door. According to NBC News, he exposed himself and attempted to undress her. The female passenger, who was returning home from a holiday in Hawaii, managed to push an emergency button from within the toilet but the crew were unable to get to her as Tanouye’s body was blocking the door. Michael Tanouye was arrested when the plane was diverted back to Honolulu airport. After removing the screws from the hinges of the doors, those onboard were able to restrain Tanouye who was arrested by the FBI when the plane touched down back in Honolulu. His mother told cabin crew that her son, whose court hearing is on Tuesday, suffered from depression and was on medication. Earlier this week the accused was arraigned on charges of aggravated sexual assault on board an aircraft and interfering with flight crew.