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LOS ANGELES — A Texas man who pulled a small knife on board an eight-hour American Airlines flight was found innocent of a federal charge by reason of insanity Friday. 

Paul Gordon Cochran, 47, had been charged with interference with the flight crew in the Dec. 12 incident. U.S. District Court Judge Lourdes Baird found that Cochran’s mental condition prevented him from “appreciating” that his actions interfered with the crew. 

According to a medical evaluation done in jail, Cochran has symptoms of mania or psychosis that are “waxing and waning in nature.” 

Cochran will remain in jail for the next several weeks as psychologists determine whether he is a threat to society. If he is found to be not dangerous, he likely will be released. 

If he is found to be a threat, he will be incarcerated in a mental health facility, said Thom Mrozek, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles. 

None of the 202 people on board the Honolulu-to-Dallas flight was injured in the incident. 

Cochran became agitated and aggressive about halfway through the flight, according to an FBI affidavit. He rubbed two clothes hangers against his head and shouted, “There are too many people around!” 

After the plane made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport, Cochran pulled a 2-inch knife, walked to the cockpit and slammed his body against the closed door, the affidavit said. 

He opened the exit door before the aircraft reached the gate, and yelled to the awaiting police officers, “I am not a beast, just a man. Drop and give me ten.”