Delta Air Lines Flight Diverted To OKC After Passenger Allegedly Assaults Flight Attendant, Air Marshal
OKLAHOMA CITY (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A flight headed to Los Angeles from D.C. was diverted to Oklahoma City after an unruly passenger assaulted a flight attendant, police said.
According to Oklahoma City Police Capt. Arthur Gregory, an air marshal who was on board the Delta Air Lines flight had the passenger in custody when the flight landed Thursday night. The accused passenger is in custody in Oklahoma City. Both the air marshal and flight attendant are expected to be okay.
The flight continued on to Los Angeles, after the passenger was removed, and landed safely.
In a statement, Delta praised the "quick action and professionalism" of its crew and air marshals for their handling of the situation.
Last month, Attorney General Merrick Garland directed U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize prosecutions of federal crimes that occur on commercial flights amid a historic spike in cases involving unruly passengers.
Federal law prohibits interfering with a flight crew, including assaulting, intimidating or threatening crew members.
The Federal Aviation Association said last month that it had referred 37 cases involving unruly airline passengers to the FBI for possible criminal prosecution since the number of disruptions on flights began to spike in January.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)