On a Delta Airlines flight to New Orleans, a passenger grabs a flight attendant in a chokehold and threatens to cut off her head with a shard of glass.
In a terrifying incident that occurred onboard a Delta Air Lines flight as it landed in New Orleans on Wednesday, a passenger allegedly grabbed a flight attendant in a chokehold and threatened to cut her head off with a broken shard of glass that he was holding against her neck.
Officials identified the suspect as 39-year-old Nelson Montgomery, who was arrested on suspicion of aggravated battery and using offensive language and is currently being held at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Centre.
Delta Air Flight DL2432 took off from Atlanta around 3:50 p.m. on August 2 for what was supposed to be a routine one-hour flight to New Orleans. The flight appeared to be going smoothly, but as it approached New Orleans, things took a dramatic turn.
One of the passengers onboard the Airbus A321 told WVUE that flight attendants had requested medical assistance to treat Montgomery for an injury.
Montgomery was allegedly bleeding “profusely” from the neck, but before he could be treated, he allegedly choked one of the flight attendants.
According to witnesses, Montgomery was holding what appeared to be a broken shard of glass to the flight attendant’s neck and threatening to cut her head off.
A group of eight passengers reportedly tackled Montgomery and held him until law enforcement arrived to arrest him. The flight attendant received minor injuries, including two cuts, and was treated at the scene.
A Delta Air Lines spokesperson described the incident as a “customer issue” in a statement.
“Law enforcement personnel met Delta flight 2432 from Atlanta to New Orleans upon landing following a reported customer issue onboard,” according to the statement.
“Delta has a zero tolerance policy for disruptive behaviour on our aircraft and at our airports.” Nothing is more important than our employees’ and customers’ safety and security.”
A passenger on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston in March allegedly attempted to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a homemade shank made from a broken spoon.
Francisco Severo Torres, 33, is scheduled to stand trial on a charge of interfering with flight crew members, but the case has been postponed indefinitely because a judge determined that he is “mentally incompetent” to stand trial at this time.
Prosecutors claim Torres attempted to open an emergency exit door on the transcontinental flight before lunging with a stabbing motion at a flight attendant.
