American Airlines suspended an employee who allegedly hit a passenger with a stroller

Eyewitnesses of an altercation between an American Airlines employee and a passenger say the flight attendant "violently took a stroller from a lady with her baby" and was then observed "hitting her and just missing the baby." The attendant has been suspended as the airline investigates.

Video filmed in the aftermath of the initial dispute, which reportedly concerned whether the stroller could come on the flight, shows the mother in tears and a male passenger arguing with the employee. "Hey bud, hey bud, you do that to me and I’ll knock you flat!" the male passenger yells in one clip. "You stay out of this!" the attendant yells back, adding, "Hit me! Come on, hit me!"

"We are deeply sorry for the pain we have caused this passenger and her family and to any other customers affected by the incident," said an American Airlines statement. "The actions of our team member captured here do not appear to reflect patience or empathy, two values necessary for customer care."

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This incident comes a little more than a week after United Airlines employees violently removed a passenger from a plane the company initially said was overbooked. United did not immediately apologize for its employees' behavior.