An American Airlines flight was diverted to Phoenix after two women fought with another passenger who asked them to stop using racial slander, police said.
The incident occurred on Wednesday on flight 776 from Dallas-Fort Worth to Los Angeles.
The airline said in a statement that, after arriving in Phoenix, the police “removed and arrested two individuals for verbally and physically assaulting other customers and members of the flight crew.”
Phoenix police identified the women as Kelly Pichardo, 30, and Leeza Rodriguez, 29. According to authorities, witnesses said Pichardo and Rodriguez were using racial slander when a male passenger asked them to stop using that language.
“Kelly Pichardo was upset and reportedly spat on the passenger who asked her to stop using that language,” said a police statement. “The male passenger then started to register the two women and it was then that Leeza Rodriguez hit the man’s hand to prevent him from registering the incident.”
Both women were accused of disorderly conduct. Pichardo faces an additional charge of assault.
They were placed on an internal list of refusals pending further investigation, American Airlines said, calling their conduct “disturbing and unacceptable”.
“We continue to investigate this incident and work directly with affected customers to ensure their well-being. We thank our crew members for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation, ”said the airline.
The flight finally continued to California without further incident.
