Selma Blair arrested after alleged attack on two flight attendants on Delta flight to New York
Police took the US actress into custody at John F. Kennedy airport after she allegedly tried to open a plane door in flight and attacked two crew members. Her representatives say she suffered a medical emergency.
Incident on the flight
Selma Blair, 54, was travelling on a Delta Airlines flight from Los Angeles to New York on Sunday, 11 October, when she tried to open the aircraft door while in the air, according to TMZ. The outlet, which cited airport sources, reported that she then hit one flight attendant and bit another, and that she was handcuffed for the rest of the flight. Variety, citing TMZ, described the attack as a punch to one crew member and a bite to another. A recording published by TMZ captured crew asking for medical personnel, not an ambulance, for a bloody nose and bite marks. 20 Minuten, also citing TMZ, reported that the passenger struck her head against a partition inside the cabin. The reasons she tried to open the door have not been made public.
Landing and arrest
The flight landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport at approximately 11 p.m., ahead of schedule, and law enforcement was waiting at the gate, Variety reported. The New York Port Authority said two flight attendants were hurt and one of them was taken to hospital. Blair was taken into custody by police after landing and transported by ambulance to a hospital for a check-up. El País, citing TMZ, reported that at the hospital she kicked one airport staff member who had travelled with her. The FBI is investigating, according to a source cited by Variety. The articles do not say what charges, if any, she may face.
- Blair removed from a flight on a stretcher after an in-flight outburst, according to Variety
- Blair allegedly tries to open the aircraft door, then hits one flight attendant and bites another, according to TMZ
- Flight lands at John F. Kennedy airport around 11 p.m., ahead of schedule, and law enforcement responds at the gate
Representatives and carrier response
Blair's representatives did not deny the reported events, El País said, and instead attributed her conduct to a medical emergency. Her publicist told the BBC that she 'experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct'. The statement added that after landing she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.
Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.
Delta said law enforcement responded as the flight arrived in New York and that the incident had no operational impact on the flight. El País also noted that Blair has lived with multiple sclerosis since 2018, and that she returned to public appearances in 2021 after years away from the screen.
Earlier in-flight incident
Variety reported that in 2016 Blair was removed from a flight on a stretcher while travelling with her 4-year-old son, after what she described as a 'total psychotic blackout'. She attributed that episode to drinking a glass of wine and taking a pill, according to Variety. El País reported that on that earlier flight she mixed alcohol with medication and had to be taken urgently to a hospital in Los Angeles. The two incidents are the only earlier cases reported in the articles, and the sources do not link them to the current case beyond the medical explanation her representatives have offered.
