Man banned from flying United after knocking out a gate agent at Dulles Airport
A Frederick man punched a gate agent at Dulles, leading to his arrest.
Author: Sophie Rosenthal
Published: 12:23 PM EDT March 14, 2025
Updated: 5:40 PM EDT March 14, 2025
DULLES, Va. — A Frederick man punched a United Airlines gate agent at Dulles International Airport Thursday night, hospitalizing him. The shocking swing was caught on camera in a video shared with WUSA9.
Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, from Frederick, Maryland, was arrested Thursday, and charged with assault and disorderly conduct according to Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.In the video, Crittenden can be seen going up to the gate agent as people were deboarding at the gate. When the agent blocked him from coming closer, he can be heard saying, “I’m done with this bullsh*t,” before saying something unintelligible and quickly swinging on the agent, who immediately collapsed.
Witnesses say the full interaction lasted around 15 minutes. According to one witness, there was an issue with a flight being canceled, and the flight at that gate was fully booked.
The gate agent was transported to a local hospital by the Airports Authority’s fire and rescue department.
United told WUSA9 that he has been banned from all future travel on the airline.
In a statement, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Works Union (IAM Union) condemned the violent act. The union demanded stronger protections for airline customer service representatives.
“Our members deserve a workplace where they can focus on providing excellent customer service—not one where they fear being attacked by passengers. This latest incident is yet another example of the unacceptable rise in violence against frontline airline workers, and immediate action is needed to address it,” the statement reads, in part.
The union is calling on the Federal Aviation Administration to take action and implement the stronger safety standards that recently passed under the current FAA reauthorization. These standards include employee assault prevention and response plan standards.As long as these violent incidents persist, the IAM will not stop advocating for real enforcement of laws that protect airline employees,” the union said.
