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A Plane Had to Turn Around Because a 72-Year-Old Man Wouldn't Stop Doing Yoga

The guy allegedly threatened to kill other passengers, attacked his wife, and shouted that God doesn't exist.
Photo via Flickr user Christian Ostrosky

Read: What It's Like to Be on a Plane When It's Hijacked

When Hyongtae Pae left his seat to do yoga on a Japan-bound flight from Hawaii last weekend, passengers never expected things would get violent.

The FBI told the Associated Press the 72-year-old South Korean farmer was feeling uneasy during the flight, so he tried to align them chakras in the back of the airplane. When Pae's wife and the flight crew told him the aisle wasn't really the ideal spot to perform sun salutations, the guy went full beast mode.

US Attorney Darren Ching says Pae—who apparently took up yoga and meditation to help combat anxiety—tried to headbutt and bite Marines who happened to be on the flight and tried to coax him back into his seat. After he allegedly threatened to kill passengers, attacked his wife, and shouted that God doesn't exist, the pilot turned the plane back around to Honolulu.

Pae's defense attorney says his client was in Hawaii celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary, but the man was suffering from crippling jet-lag and hadn't had a decent night's sleep in 11 days.

The would-be yogi is currently being held at Honolulu Federal Detention Center. But after reportedly urinating on himself and being placed on suicide watch, even if he gets out on bail, Pae can't leave Oahu* before undergoing a mental health checkup.

*Correction 3/31: An earlier version of this story referred to Oahu as a city rather than an island.