American actress Selma Blair has been charged with assaulting two flight attendants during a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York. After the plane landed at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, police boarded the plane, and Blair was detained and taken to the hospital.
According to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey police, the two flight attendants were injured. One was taken to the hospital for further examination. According to American media, one employee was bitten in the incident, and the other received an injury to the nose.
The FBI is investigating the case as a suspected assault on board an airplane. Blair has also been issued a federal summons for alleged assault in the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. No date has been set for her appearance on that document. In addition to the federal charges, the actress also faces state charges related to alleged actions against a police officer and a nurse after the landing.
Defense cites medical emergency
A representative for Selma Blair told ABC News: “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged behavior. She received immediate medical attention after landing and is in stable condition.“ No further details about the medical issue were provided.
Blair suffers from multiple sclerosis. The “Focus“ article states that the actress's representatives have linked her behavior to the disease. This statement does not constitute an established cause of the incident, but rather a position of her defense.
A similar case from 2016
This is not the first incident with the actress during a flight. In 2016, she was removed from a plane and taken to the hospital after behavior that she herself later attributed to mixing alcohol and medication.
Blair explained at the time. The investigation into the current case is ongoing, and the charges filed are not proof of guilt.
Sources: focus-news.net, cbsnews.com, abcnews.com