‘Unruly’ passenger taken into FBI custody after mask dispute on Delta flight

An “unruly” passenger on a Delta Air Lines flight going from Tampa, Fla., to Atlanta on Dec. 23 was taken into FBI custody following a reported heated argument about masking on board the plane, USA Today reported. 

“Situations like these are rare for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft,” Delta said of the incident in a statement, according to USA Today.

A video released on Twitter by an account called ATL Uncensored shows the argument between the two passengers. 

Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta got crazy‼️ pic.twitter.com/I9BZUKv3LB

— ATL Uncensored | Atlanta News (@ATLUncensored) December 25, 2021

The woman is seen telling the man to put on his mask, while her own is hanging on her chin. The man said, “Sit down, Karen,” before stating that he was eating and drinking and pointing out that the woman also had her mask down. The male passenger then called the woman a name, followed by the woman striking the man in the face. 

The flight attendant is seen trying to restrain the “unruly” passenger after she physically struck the other passenger with whom she was in an altercation. 

The duo continued to shout profanities at one another as flight attendants then escorted the woman away from the man as they continued to shout at one another to put their masks on. 

The federal mask mandate requires all passengers to wear masks when flying. 

At the end of the video, the person recording claims that the woman also had spat on the man and poured hot water onto the recorder of the video. 

The Federal Aviation Administration reported 5,779 unruly passenger incidents in 2021 as of late December, reports USA Today. About 72 percent of the incidents were related to mask-wearing and over 100 involved physical altercations, notes the outlet.