Man Masturbates Four Times Using Both Hands During Southwest Flight, Arrested

KEY POINTS

Antonio Sherrodd McGarity masturbated four times for around an hour while onboard Southwest Airlines flight 3814
He allegedly asked a female seatmate if she minded the behavior, and the latter told him it did not matter
McGarity admitted to masturbating on the flight, and he is facing charges for lewd, indecent, or obscene acts on an aircraft

A man is facing federal charges after he was caught masturbating several times during a three-hour flight from Seattle, Washington, to Phoenix, Arizona, last weekend.

Antonio Sherrodd McGarity "exposed his penis by pulling down his pants and shorts and began masturbating" shortly after Southwest Airlines flight 3814 took off last Saturday, The Daily Beast reported, citing a criminal complaint.

An unnamed woman seated next to McGarity started taking photos of him after catching him in the act, according to the complaint, which was filed Sunday before the United States District Court for the District of Arizona.

"McGarity masturbated with his exposed penis in view of the female passenger on four separate occasions, using both his left and right hands," the court papers read.

The female passenger believed McGarity had ejaculated "because he licked a white substance from his fingers," as indicated in the document.

McGarity reportedly fell asleep after masturbating for around an hour, allowing the female witness to report the incident to a crew member and be allowed to move to another seat.

Officers from the Phoenix Police Department arrested McGarity once the plane landed at Sky Harbor International Airport.

Federal Bureau of Intelligence agents interviewed McGarity, and he admitted to masturbating on the flight.

McGarity had asked his female seatmate if she minded the behavior, as per the court papers. In response, the female witness allegedly put her hands up in the air and said, "It really doesn't matter."

McGarity thought the response was "kind of kinky" and believed his female seatmate was comfortable with him masturbating.

He is now facing charges for lewd, indecent, or obscene acts on an aircraft.

Southwest Airlines imposed a lifetime ban on McGarity from flying with the airline, according to a spokesperson for the company.

"On April 2, we received reports of inappropriate Customer behavior on flight 3814 from SEA to PHX. The situation was reported to Crewmembers while inflight, and the Captain contacted law enforcement to meet the aircraft upon arrival," the spokesperson said.