Dhaka, Jan. 19 -- An Eva Air captain allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer multiple times during taxi before takeoff, said the airline in a statement upon suspending the pilot and opening an investigation.

According to media reports, the incident occurred at Los Angeles International Airport when the aircraft was taxiing for takeoff. The captain was the pilot flying (PF), and he was going faster than the speed limit of 30 knots.

The first officer, a Malaysian national, repeatedly warned the captain, a Taiwanese national surnamed "Wen," to reduce thrust and decrease the taxi speed. But the PF kept going, without responding to the first officer's warnings.

The first officer, then, applied brakes to reduce the taxi speed...