LOS ANGELES (NewsNation Now) — Delta Air Lines said it is investigating after TMZ obtained a video of a brawl breaking out between two men on a flight just before Christmas.
According to TMZ, the flight occurred on a late-night flight from Los Angeles to Memphis.
In the video, you can see two men violently wrestle each other in the aisle before other passengers step in.
Delta Air Lines sent NewsNation the statement below:
“Delta is investigating this incident. Safety is always our No. 1 priority and while unruly passenger incidents are rare, there is no place for them on our aircraft or in our airports.”
Kate Modolo, Corporate Communications AT Delta Air Lines
TMZ reports no police were at the gate and both men proceeded to baggage claim.
This is just the latest in a string of incidents in airports and aboard airplanes this year, some ending with passengers taped to their seats or zip-tied, and some with them escorted off planes before they take off.
Just weeks ago, the TSA issued a stern warning to those who would behave disruptively or violently in airports across the country. Violence on planes has spiked in recent months, notably during the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent mask mandates. The TSA said they would take away TSA pre-check to those that violated airport rules.
This year alone, the Federal Aviation Administration has tallied at least 5,553 unruly passenger reports. Of those, 3,998 were mask-related incident reports.
Earlier this year, NewsNation followed flight attendants from Delta, American and Southwest Airlines as they were training to deal with unruly passengers. The self-defense class, offered by the TSA, teaches footwork, mechanics and a fighter’s mentality.
The Associated Press and NewsNation’s Sydney Kalich and Ileana Diaz contributed to this report.