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In-flight fight for stubborn iPhone-loving teen

Fondle slab involved in a different kind of battery charge

A teenager who refused to turn off his iPhone during the landing of a plane got a punch from a fellow passenger for his trouble.

Police in Boise, Idaho, the flight's desination, arrested the alleged assailant, 68-year-old Russell Miller.

Miller reportedly became angry when the 15-year-old, who was listening to music and playing a game on his fondle slab, ignored requests from airline staff over the intercom to switch off electronic devices on the final approach on Tuesday night.

"He punched him so hard there was a mark on the teen's arm," Boise police spokesman Kent Lipple told a local TV station.

"That gave us probable cause to believe the reports from the other passengers."

However Miller told the Idaho Citizen the incident risks being "blown out of proportion". He said he had "tapped" the teen.

"I didn’t know this guy was a kid. I tapped him on his shoulder. He had been told [to turn off his cell phone]. I guess he thought he could get away with something.

"Maybe I overreacted. What’s done is done,” Miller said. “I have no animosity towards this kid whatsoever. I just wanted him to abide by the rules."

The pugilistic pensioner was charged with misdemeanor battery and will appear in court in January. Police said he faces a jail sentence. ®

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