United Airlines Passenger Who Knocked Out Gate Agent In Washington Dulles Pleads Guilty

UPDATE: Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, of Frederick, Maryland, has pleaded guilty to interference with airline personnel and will pay the United Airlines gate agent he knocked out $15,000 in restitution. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

Crittenden admitted to consuming multiple alcoholic beverages before becoming irate about a delay and his seating assignment for his United Airlines flight from Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD). Per investigators:

• Crittenden cursed out the gate agent
• The agent informed the captain, who was on the jetbridge, that Crittenden was displaying signs of inebriation and verbally harassing him and his colleagues
• The captain stepped out into the gate area to speak with Crittenden, informing him that he could not fly on the aircraft
• Crittenden then assaulted the agent by punching him in the face, temporarily rendering the gate agent unconscious

Crittenden faces sentencing on October 9th and faces up to 10 years in prison (though he will likely spend far less time behind bars). As part of the plea agreement, he also agreed to pay the gate agent he knocked out $15,000. He pleaded guilty to violating 49 U.S.C. § 46503, which covers federal, airport, and airline employees who have security duties in the airport.

You can read the plea agreement here.

I am thankful this passenger was held accountable for his violent behavior.

My original story, from March 14, 2025, is below.

Shocking video shows a United Airlines passenger knocking out a gate agent after becoming agitated at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

United Airlines Passenger Knocks Out IAD Gate Agent

All we have is four seconds of video, but it clearly captures an assault and battery against a United Airlines gate agent in IAD. We don’t know what was going on, but we do see the passenger get upset, then approach the gate agent yelling out:

“I’m done with this bullsh*t! Who f*ckin’ wants to take it first?”

(YouTube censured me for posting this video due its violence, but here it is below)

Notice the captain is standing there too…and there are people walking off the jetbridge and into the terminal concourse. My guess is that there was a flight delay–probably a rolling delay–that became worse once the flight finally pulled up to the gate (giving United’s operation folks a better idea of how long it would take to deplane, clean, then re-board the aircraft).

Perhaps the angry man blew a gasket after the delay got even worse and then attacked…as if that was going to work.

Another theory is that he was trying to get onto an oversold flight.

Per View From The Wing, “The reportedly well-liked, kind gate agent was taken away on a stretcher and hospitalized. The passenger was arrested on the spot.”

That passenger has been identified as Christopher Stuart Crittenden, 54, of Frederick, Maryland. He faces charges of assault and disorderly conduct. United has also banned him:

“The passenger involved has been banned from future travel on United.”

A traveler named Ama Deisel took the video above, but later made his Twitter/X account private.

And not to make fun of the gate agent in any way (he can reach out ot me if he wants to sue the violent passenger), but it brings to memory Mike Tyson’s KO of Marvis Frazier…ouch.

image: @amar3455 / X