OKLAHOMA CITY — Authorities arrested a Delta Air Lines passenger Thursday night after police said he assaulted a flight attendant and a federal air marshal, prompting the plane to divert to Oklahoma City, KOKI-TV reported.
Delta flight No. 342 was diverted to Will Rogers World Airport around 7:40 p.m. CST after earlier taking off from Washington D.C. for Los Angeles, according to KCAL-TV.
Police said they responded to the airport after receiving a report of an unruly passenger. Officers boarded the plane and arrested a man identified as Ariel Pennington, 35. Jail records show the Washington, D.C., resident was booked around 11:15 p.m. on charges of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. He was released on a bond of $334 early Friday.
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It was not immediately clear what led to the incident. At some point, Pennington became combative and attacked a flight attendant, KCAL reported. A federal air marshal intervened, and Pennington assaulted them as well, authorities told the news station. Video obtained by KTLA showed Pennington maskless and arguing with people before being escorted off the plane Thursday night.
In a statement obtained by KCAL, Delta Air Line officials commended crew members and federal air marshals for their “quick action and professionalism.” They also apologized to customers for the inconvenience.
>> Related: FAA fines Southwest Airlines passenger $40K
Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration have been tracking reports of unruly passengers, which remain high, although they’ve dropped since the agency launched its zero-tolerance campaign against unruly passenger behavior in January. As part of the campaign, officials bypass their regular process of sending warning letters in favor of immediately fining unruly passengers.
As of Tuesday, the FAA has received more than 5,550 reports of airline passengers acting out, including nearly 4,000 that involved disputes over wearing masks.
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