A plane headed to Michigan was forced to make an emergency landing after a bloody brawl broke out onboard the packed flight amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to reports. Tension arose when one passenger complained that he could not sleep due to other passengers on the flight from Los Angeles making too much noise. Another passenger responded and the fight broke out.
Footage obtained by ClickOnDetroit shows two passengers throwing punches at one another while others call for flight attendants to intervene.
"Everyone was like, 'Why aren't you doing anything?' They were like, 'We don't get paid enough to deal with this,'" a Macomb County mother who was onboard the flight recalled.
"We were in shock, really. We couldn't believe it was happening. It was really scary. I had my kids with me and everybody was like, 'Oh my God.'"
The Spirit Airlines flight was diverted to Des Moines, Iowa. Upon landing, the two passengers involved in the fight rushed to change out of their bloodstained clothing before U.S. Marshals arrived in hopes that they would not be recognized. Police were unable to make any arrests due to jurisdiction limitations, and one of the men was allowed back on the plane.
"We did not arrest anyone. Pretty unique situation. It was determined that the incident took place over Nebraska, so DMPD has no jurisdiction. At the crew's request, we escorted one passenger off the plane, and it continued on to Detroit," Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said, according to the Daily Mail. "He was free to go."
The Macomb County woman expressed fears of contracting the coronavirus. She pointed out that, despite assurance from Spirit that passengers would be distanced from each other, the flight was still packed. The physical altercation added to her concerns.
"They didn't clean the blood," she said. "Sat there for two hours, everyone sucking everyone's coronavirus."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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