Shocking moment unruly passenger punches Colombian police officer while being removed from Florida-bound Spirit Airlines flight after requests were made by passengers and crew to get him off the plane

A Polish man is under arrest in Colombia after he punched a police officer while he was being removed from a Spirit Airlines flight because he had allegedly consumed too much liquor.

Footage released by police showed the passenger, who also has a residence in the US, exchanging barbs with fellow customers flight 239 bound for Fort Lauderdale, Florida was waiting to leave the gate at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport in Barranquilla on Sunday.

The man, whose name has not been released, could be heard shouting, 'f**k you, b****h,' at another passenger as he was being escorted by a flight attendant and two cops.

He let out another F-bomb and stopped in the middle of the plane to berate another passenger, telling them, 'You wish you would be in the United States.'

One of the cops subsequently pushed him forward before he hit the cop and repeatedly told him, 'I hate you.'

The irate man continued to charge at the police officer before he fell into a row of seats and was pushed to the front of the airplane, where he was wrestled to the ground and removed.

'This man is being prosecuted for the crime against a public servant and in the next few hours he will be placed at the disposal of the competent authorities,' Colombian Police General Jorge Urquijo told Blu Radio.

The passenger's behavior, Urquijo said, was attributed to an ongoing custody battle with the mother of his son, who currently resides in Colombia.

Urquijo said that the court ruling was not in his favor 'and according to preliminary information, this would have led to his state of alteration coupled with alcohol consumption. We have no criminal record.'

Spirit Airlines told DailyMail.com in a statement that the passenger was barred from flying on its aircraft.

'We do not tolerate aggressive behavior of any kind, and this passenger is no longer welcome on any of our flights. We will provide any necessary assistance to the relevant authorities as they investigate this matter.for comment.'

According to the FAA's annual year-end data, the number of unruly passenger reports has significantly dropped from its record point two years ago.

Through the week ending December 10, there were 1,960 unruly passenger incidents filed in 2023. In comparison, 5,973 were registered in 2021 and 2,455 were recorded in 2022.

'The rate of unruly passenger incidents steadily dropped by over 80 percent since record highs in early 2021, but recent increases show there remains more work to do,' the FAA said.

Passengers can be fined up to $37,000 per violation, although one incident can carry several fines.