Stephanie Barnes
A Delta Air Lines flight was delayed after two men got into a heated debate that developed into a full-on brawl while on board. The issue between the passengers occurred after one man objected to another using the pocket of his seatback.
The fight was initiated by Curtis Maurice Clayton, 30, from South Carolina, who was later arrested at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.
Clayton reportedly damaged a police vehicle while he was being taken into custody.
A video of the incident later surface online and quickly went viral. In the video, a tall man in a black jacket can be seen throwing punches at a shorter man nearby. Despite being injured and having blood on his face, the man in black kept attacking the other man until flight attendants and other passengers got involved to separate them.
After being pushed away from the other man, the man in black finally noticed his injuries and can be seen touching the side of his face.
Other passengers watched in horror as the two men scuffled. As the video goes on, passengers began expressing their disappointment, disapproval, and irritation at the inconvenience.
“I already missed a whole flight…Oh my God. It’s literally f–king 6 a.m. Who’s fighting at 6 a.m.?” on angry passenger wondered outloud as the video ends.
According to a report from Daily Mail, the Atlanta Police said the arrested man was “uncooperative with police and damaged a police vehicle during the investigation.” He was charged with battery and interference with government property and booked into the Clayton County Jail.
This incident seems to be just the most recent in an alarming spike of rowdy passengers causing drama on flights across the U.S. Perhaps it’s a result of being stuck inside for so long but the airlines are not pleased.
After a separate incident involving a man punching a flight attendant, American Airlines released a statement condemning the unruly behavior.
“This behavior must stop,” the company said.