Other media sources report witnesses claim the flight attendant was escalating the situation which hit a breaking point when the flight attendant started touchi

Other media sources report witnesses claim the flight attendant was escalating the situation which hit a breaking point when the flight attendant started touching the passenger. If true, it certainly doesn't justify beating someone and knocking their teeth out, but does add some depth to the situation. Flight attendants have quite a bit of authority and leeway in how to handle situations with passengers but in the current tense environment, unless someone must be physically restrained, touching them is a bad idea.