US, October 14 :Actress Selma Blair has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault after an alleged incident during which flight attendants were injured aboard a commercial flight from Los Angeles to New York City on Sunday night.
Blair, who did not enter a plea, appeared in court Monday evening wearing blue jeans and a light grey hoodie, pulled up to her elbows, over another sweatshirt, and a sweatshirt placed over her shoulders.
Prosecutors said Blair kicked a Port Authority officer when she was being strapped into a stretcher before being loaded into an ambulance. Blair freed her leg from the stretcher straps and kicked the officer in the head and chest, according to a criminal complaint.
Hours later, Blair kicked a nurse, who was taking her for additional treatment in the chest, the complaint said.
Her attorney, Shawn Barnes, said Blair boarded her flight after extensive hours on set, fell and hit her head on the plane, and missed her medication. Blair also spent seven to eight hours at the hospital before she was in police custody. She then had to go back to the hospital, Barnes said.
She is expected to be released from custody on $20,000 bail that was set by Judge Indira Khan. The judge also issued an order of protection for the nurse she kicked.
She is due back in court on January 19.
Police responded to a call about a physically abusive passenger aboard Delta Air Lines flight 938 arriving at John F. Kennedy Airport from Los Angeles International Airport, according to Port Authority media relations. The suspect was identified as Blair, who was taken into custody and later transported to the hospital for evaluation, the department added.
Two flight attendants reported injuries, with one being transported to the hospital for further evaluation, the Port Authority said.
According to air traffic control audio recorded by the app ATC.com, medical personnel was initially requested to meet the flight arriving at JFK on Sunday night for two flight attendants needing medical attention.
The ATC.com audio later described minor injuries including "a bloody nose as well as some bite marks," but did not specify who sustained them. There was also mention that the disruptive passenger may have "bashed her head on the bulkhead."
A law enforcement source later told CNN that Blair bit a flight attendant and left another with lacerations, adding that Blair had to be held with plastic restraints.
Blair's attorney later met her at the hospital and took possession of the service animal with which she'd been traveling, the official said.
The FBI is investigating the incident. In a statement to CNN, the New York field office said the agency does "not comment on ongoing investigations."
Delta Air Lines told CNN in a statement that the airline "has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first." The airline also said law enforcement met the plane upon its arrival.
In 2018, the actress revealed she had multiple sclerosis, and in 2021 she was the focus of a documentary detailing her treatment and how she was living with the disease.
Multiple sclerosis is a disease that affects the central nervous system and is considered an autoimmune disease, in which the immune system attacks its own healthy cells. There is currently no cure.
This is not the first time Blair has had a run-in with authorities related to an incident on a commercial airliner. In 2016, she publicly apologized after becoming unruly and being removed from a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles on a stretcher. She was hospitalized after the incident.
Calling the episode "a big mistake" in a statement to Vanity Fair at the time, Blair said she mixed alcohol with medication which caused her "to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret."
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been 1,331 reports of unruly passengers on airplanes so far this year.
On Sunday, Blair shared a video recap of her recent travels on Instagram. The video had a caption reading, "From LA to New Mexico to La to nyc to LA Scout and I have been busy."
Blair's breakout role was 1999's "Cruel Intentions," which was followed by a major role in 2001's "Legally Blonde." She is also credited with roles in the "Hellboy" film franchise and rom-com "The Sweetest Thing."
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Cooperation
