American Airlines staff removed after he hits woman with stroller

Video grabs show the flight attendant (in blue) during the altercation with a man who stepped in to defend the woman

Washington: An American Airlines (AA) flight attendant has been suspended pending an investigation after he allegedly smacked a mother with her baby stroller on board a domestic flight.

The incident took place on Friday when the woman boarded the flight from San Francisco to Dallas. In a video posted on Facebook by Surian Adyanthaya, employee of the Texas-headquartered American Airlines (AA) can be seen arguing with a passenger on board the flight.

The big fight
Although, the footage does not catch the moment when the flight attendant allegedly struck the woman, but the atmosphere in the cabin gets tense as a man steps in to defend her. "Hey bud, you do that to me and I'll knock you flat," the man says to the attendant as the distraught woman stands to the side clutching her baby.

"You stay out of this," the attendant responds, adding "Hit me, c'mon, bring it on!." The woman was eventually escorted off the flight, but the attendant was allowed back on, reports the New York Daily News. The video went viral on social media.

Damage control
American Airlines condemned the attendant's behaviour and said it had launched a probe into the incident. "What we see on this video does not reflect how we care for our customers. The woman and her baby boarded another flight. The attendant has been removed from duty pending an investigation," the airlines said.