Altercation Injures 3 On Delta Flight, Forces Flight To Turn Around

A Delta Air Lines passenger was arrested after allegedly attacking a flight attendant shortly after takeoff, sparking an altercation that sent two people to the hospital with injuries.

The incident reportedly occurred about 45 minutes into Delta flight 129 from Seattle to Beijing on Thursday night. Witnesses tell SeattlePI.com that a male passenger began pacing back and forth from the lavatory, before eventually charging toward an exit door.

According to witnesses the ordeal began when the man began pacing back and forth to the bathroom. At some point the charged toward an exit door.

It was then that the man allegedly attacked the flight attendant. Fellow passengers intervened, with one witness saying that at least two bottles of wine were broken during the melee.

A spokesperson for the airport confirmed that the flight turned around because of the incident and that passengers helped to restrain the 23-year-old man until police arrived.

One flight attendant and another passenger were taken to area hospitals for treatment following the incident, CNN reports. The suspect, who was also injured, declined medical treatment.

A rep for Delta also confirmed to CNN that a “security incident” resulted in the flight returning shortly after takeoff, adding that the passenger was removed without incident upon landing in Seattle. The flight took off once again shortly after midnight Friday.

CNN reports that the FBI also responded to the incident, but that there “is no information to suggest this is national security threat.”

“The FBI’s investigation is ongoing and more details about the incident will be provided and the charges announced at the subject’s initial appearance in federal court,” the FBI said.