Woman punches, spits on passenger on flight

A woman was arrested by the FBI after she assaulted and spat on another passenger aboard a flight from Tampa to Atlanta.

According to the New York Post, the incident occurred when Patricia Cornwall, 51, was walking back to her seat from the bathroom and found the aisle blocked by a beverage cart on December 23.

When a crew member requested her to take an open seat until the beverage cart could be moved, Ms Cornwall allegedly said, “Who am I, Rosa Parks?” – invoking the name of the iconic African-American civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in 1955.

At this, a man seated nearby told Ms Cornwall: “You’re not Black, this isn’t Alabama, and this isn’t a bus.”

That led to a confrontation which escalated until Ms Cornwall punched and spat on the other man. The attack was recorded by a co-passenger and had gone viral online.

In the video of the incident, an enraged Ms Cornwall was seen slapping the man even as crew tried to restrain her. The confrontation continued until she was dragged away.

Ms Cornwall was met by the police and then taken into FBI custody when the flight landed in Atlanta. — ndtv.com