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Cassian Elwes Heps Subdue Unruly Passenger on JetBlue Flight

5:14 PM PDT 8/20/2012 by Kimberly Nordyke
Cassian Elwes Headshot - P 2012
Getty Images

The "Lawless" executive producer tweets that a man punched him in the ribs before authorities took him into custody after the flight made an emergency landing in Denver.

It sounds like something straight out of a movie.

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On Sunday, a JetBlue airplane made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport after a passenger became unruly, physically attacking and cursing at his fellow passengers -- and well-known film sales agent and producer Cassian Elwes (Lawless) says he played a big role in helping authorities take the man into custody.

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According to KMGH-TV Denver, Flight 677 had left John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, bound for Los Angeles. Midflight, a man sitting near Elwes began exhibiting signs of strange behavior; the producer tweeted a play-by-play after the incident was over, calling the man "Hoodie."

"Hoodie wants to get up. he walks to the back & stands in the galley for 10 mins just staring at the metal wall," he wrote as part of a series of tweets. "The stewardesses ignore him. ... He starts ripping up a magazine and licking the paper. Then he starts sticking the magazine pieces to the mini tv in front of him. The wife calls the stewardess who comes and tells him to stop. Then he wants to get up again. This time he walks to the front. I feel uneasy and I go back & tell one of the ladies that he's acting weird. And I'm really not sure that its a good idea that he's hanging around the front where all the buttons are for the doors."

Later, an off-duty air marshal sat down next to the man.

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"They exchange a few words," tweeted Elwes, a fixture in the independent film world. "I'm right behind and now hoodie starts shouting at the guy f--- you many times. Hoodie tries to get up but air marshal blocks him. More f--- yous. Hoodie throws his vodka at him but it lands on the couple in front of him."

So Elwes offered to "just talk" to the man, who tells him that he's a Marine, that he's going to L.A. to work on a "commercial doing construction" and enjoys writing. Picking up on the latter comment, Elwes then tells the air marshal that he thinks he can keep him talking until the plane lands, which he does. Before the plane touches down, though, the man "punches me quite hard in the ribs" and then "whacks me on the thigh."

Elwes tweeted that a pregnant woman told him the man groped her and that she planned to press charges.

Elwes -- whose credits also include Margin Call and the documentary Sarah Palin: You Betcha! --  gave a statement to an FBI officer after the incident.

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"I write that I used to be william morris agent and I've dealt with difficult people before and really this guy wasn't that difficult," he quips via Twitter.

And rather than anger, the producer was melancholy over the whole ordeal.

"I replay the whole thing in my mind again as the adrenaline wears off. What's the message what's the point," he tweeted. "I realize the point is these wars are fucking with our children's minds. A whole generation is being sent home screwed up."

JetBlue told KMGH that the plane left Denver at 1 a.m. Monday. As for the reason for the emergency landing, a spokesperson would say only that the flight was rerouted because of a customer service issue.

Video captured by a passenger's cell phone reportedly shows the man being led out of the plane in handcuffs. There is no word yet on the charges he faces.

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Elwes' other executive producing credits include the upcoming movies Queen of the Desert, with Robert Pattinson and Naomi Watts, and The Butler, with Alex Pettyfer, Robin Williams and John Cusack. Lawless, starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, opens Aug. 29.

Read Elwes' entire chain of tweets below.

 

 

Cassian Elwes In His Own Words

The film producer tweeted about his JetBlue adventure.

Storified by Chris Krewson · Mon, Aug 20 2012 14:48:43

I want to write this all down before I forget it even though its 3.45am. I just got home. Tonight I took the 9pm jet blue from ny to laxcassian elwes
When I got on the plane I went to my seat 20f a window seat I had specifically booked. There was someone sitting already in my seatcassian elwes
A youngish looking guy maybe late 20's( turned out he was 32) quite burly white crew cut lots of tatoos. Gang looking maybe.cassian elwes
Hey that's my seat man I said. A quick drawling fuck you its mine now was the response I sat down next to him mumbling 'charming'.cassian elwes
He pulled his hoodie over his face & leant against the window like he was going to sleep.2 minutes later along comes a young japanese couplecassian elwes
He has the aisle seat next to me and his wife the one directly behind him. He asks me if they can sit together and I happily oblige.cassian elwes
We take off About 1 hour into the flight the japanese lady who was sitting next to hoodie gets up and trades with her husband.cassian elwes
Hoodie wants to get up. he walks to the back & stands in the galley for 10 mins just staring at the metal wall. The stewardesses ignore himcassian elwes
Then he comes back and sits down. The japanese couple are squeezing away from him. He starts ripping up a magazine and licking the papercassian elwes
Then he starts sticking the magazine pieces to the mini tv in front of him. The wife calls the stewardess who comes and tells him to stopcassian elwes
Then he wants to get up again. This time he walks to the front. I feel uneasy and I go back & tell one of the ladies that he's acting weirdcassian elwes
And I'm really not sure that its a good idea that he's hanging around the front where all the buttons are for the doors.cassian elwes
In the front I see some sort of exchange with him and a lady who's just come out of the loo. He starts back down the aisle and stops halfwaycassian elwes
He just stands in the aisle staring at some guy not saying anything for 5 minutes like he wants to fight someone. The japanese look worriedcassian elwes
I go back & say to the stewardess isn't there an air marshal who can come and sit next to hoodie. She says no they can't identify themselvescassian elwes
The air marshal's only there to stare at the cockpit door & protect it. She calls the captain who says there's another off duty one on boardcassian elwes
The japanese couple get up and go stand in the back.The plane is totally full & there is nowhere else for them to sit.The off duty guy comescassian elwes
He sits down next to hoodie and they exchange a few words. I'm right behind and now hoodie starts shouting at the guy fuck you many timescassian elwes
Hoodie tries to get up but air marshal blocks him. More fuck yous. Hoodie throws his vodka at him but it lands on the couple in front of himcassian elwes
The stewardesses come up and try to talk to hoodie to no avail. Then they look around & ask if anyone wants to volunteer to sit next to himcassian elwes
As the japanese couple refuse to come back and the air marshal sits away from from hoodie on the aisle saying nasty things to each othercassian elwes
I'm feeling quite guilty for switching with the japanese couple in the first place and volunteer to sit next to him.cassian elwes
I stand up and look over. Let's talk let's just talk I say. Hoodie who's called marco says I know he's a cop to the air marshalcassian elwes
And then he looks at me and growls you must be a cop too. How many american cops do you know that have english accents I saycassian elwes
You're fucking security he says again to me. No I'm not. I'm going to sit down and were going to talk about films. Do you like films. Yescassian elwes
I sit. The smell of alcohol is incredible. Do like movies. fuck you. Do you go to films. Fuck you. Do you write at all. Fuck you.Yes he sayscassian elwes
Where did you grow up. I'm a fucking marine man don't fuck with me he says. I will kill you man. Come on I say what have you written ?cassian elwes
I wrote a short story yesterday. Really marco what was it about.A kamikase pilot.he sees his kids & his wife in flashback just as he crashescassian elwes
ThIs is not a particularly reassuring conversation 20 rows from the cockpit. Where did u grow up. Lower east side man ny. Shooting heroincassian elwes
My father killed his father who was a bad man and my father's dead. I live in queens now. I went to the marines to get off drugs.cassian elwes
He pulls out a canister from his pocket filled with little green pills. He swigs from it. The plane jolts and the pills fly everywhere.cassian elwes
Did u ever write about the marines. Fuck you man I don't want to talk about it. I've seen shot no man should ever see. I can't write itcassian elwes
I tell him I'm a movie producer. He tells me he's going to la to work on a commercial doing construction. I gotta work man but I hate lacassian elwes
I turn 2 the air marshal. I think I can keep him talking for the next 2 hrs until we get to la I say .Too late he says we're going to denvercassian elwes
Listen man I want u to read my stuff. Its a movie. Cool I say. Give me your email which he does. I want to give you something man he sayscassian elwes
He pulls out this patch that says 'stay' on it http://pic.twitter.com/dHhAEWJ9cassian elwes
the captain comes on and says there's a small problem on board and we are diverting to denver and will be landing in 20 minutescassian elwes
Marco is oblivious to this,wants to tell me about all his tatoos. He shows me the one of his arm with the madonna. I shot heroin in her eyescassian elwes
& then he pulls up his wife beater & there's a giant skull on his chest. See this huge scar a nigger tried to stab me in the heart in queenscassian elwes
But I held up my hand just in time & I got this scar on my wrist too. I seen shit man. The air marshal whispers tell him were landing in lacassian elwes
Listen this flight was quick we're landing in la I say. I want to write down my email for you.Hey lady he says to woman in front gimme papercassian elwes
I give him a pen and he starts to write as he swigs more pills from the little bottle. Don't forget me man. I won't I promise I saycassian elwes
You're going to forget me man and then he punches me quite hard in the ribs. I laugh in shock. Then he whacks me on the thigh which hurts.cassian elwes
I stuff his address in my pocket. He wants to wrestle. I push him off jokingly which stops him. Don't forget me man he keeps sayingcassian elwes
The plane starts a rapid descent. The air marshal whispers to me get up when we start taxi-ing. The cops will come on ,get out of the waycassian elwes
The captain comes on and asks everyone to remain seated. A precaution he says. A few minutes later 2 policemen come in . Marco stands up.cassian elwes
Marco is still repeating don't forget me as we land and taxi. Wow I hate la he says again. I need to go to the bathroom I say and get upcassian elwes
With not much fuss they handcuff him and lead him down the aisle and out of the plane. Its silence. The 2 stewardesses come up and thank mecassian elwes
20 mins later a cop comes on board & asks me 2 follow him out 2 the jetway. The lady who was coming out of the loo earlier is filling a formcassian elwes
He groped me she says. I'm pregnant and I'm pressing charges. An fbi officer comes up to me and asks to write out a statement.cassian elwes
I write that I used to be william morris agent and I've dealt with difficult people before and really this guy wasn't that difficultcassian elwes
Just then 6 police officers come quickly down the jetway with a guy they r pushing/holding/ walking. Its marco but he has blue mesh hood oncassian elwes
Just as they are about to reach me they make a hard right out of a side door and down some stairs to a waiting police car.cassian elwes
Marco is fighting it. He tried to spit at us says one policeman trying to justify the hannibal lecter mask they have on him.cassian elwes
Now I can't help feeling bad for marco. Its a federal offence to make a plane land and the charges from the woman will probably be assaultcassian elwes
We eventually take off again. I replay the whole thing in my mind again as the adrenaline wears off. What's the message what's the pointcassian elwes
I realize the point is these wars are fucking with our children's minds. A whole generation is being sent home screwed up.cassian elwes
I find one of the pills on the floor and the nice lady in front googles it on her phone. Its clonazepam a drug for bi- polar anxiety. Heavycassian elwes
He was probably very anxious about flying. I opened his note and this is what he wrote :cassian elwes
'We all love the ones we hate. Blood. Lust. I was born in queens. We all lose hope'. Marco I won't forget you I promise.cassian elwes

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