An "aggressive" United Airlines passenger was caught on camera biting a flight attendant after a plane departed from Miami this week.
United Flight 762 left Miami International Airport in Florida on Tuesday evening, bound for Newark, New Jersey, but had to make an unexpected diversion to Orlando after the unnamed female passenger started causing chaos on board.
United Airlines told The Independent in a statement that the passenger became "aggressive and disruptive," prompting the flight attendants to "work to de-escalate the situation and protect other customers."
Cellphone footage of the incident, obtained by TMZ, depicts a woman screaming and using profanity towards other passengers while flight crew members attempt to restrain her in the aisle.
Flight attendants are shown attempting to calm the situation by securing zip-ties around her wrists, but the footage also captures the woman attempting to bite the shirt of one of the crew members.
"Let go of me; I'm a f****** girl. What are you gonna do, kill me?" the woman appears to say in the footage.
"These people have an attitude problem, and they don't f****** do their jobs. They're handcuffing me. Why are you handcuffing me?' she yells.
In addition, the woman is heard shouting profanities and making threats toward someone off-camera in the video.
Later in the footage, police officers are seen boarding the plane and escorting the woman off, prompting applause from fellow passengers.
United Airlines told The Independent that the flight crew opted to divert to Orlando, where law enforcement awaited to remove the woman from the aircraft.
A spokesperson from the Orlando Police Department informed FOX 35 that the passenger was taken to a local hospital for a medical assessment, noting that no arrest had been made as of Wednesday.
The Independent has reached out to the Orlando Police Department for additional details.
The disruptive incident resulted in a three and a half hour delay for the flight, as a new crew had to be assembled in Orlando, according to WSVN.
The reason behind the woman's sudden onset of "aggressive" behavior during the flight remains unclear.
As of 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration has received 893 reports of unruly passengers.
