Aaron Nichols Subdues Irate Passenger

DETROIT, Mich. – Local 4 has learned that a woman blamed for in-flight brawl will likely not be charged. Southwest Flight 1402 from Phoenix to Detroit was delayed Saturday after airline officials said the woman became unruly and erratic, fighting with passengers and crew alike. The pilot made an emergency landing at Denver International Airport and the woman was taken into custody; however, an FBI representative told Local 4 the woman was not arrested.

Instead, she was taken to a medical facility.

The woman’s name is not being released; passengers describe her as in her 60s.

Fellow travelers on that flight walked off the plane at Metro Airport, around 7:30 p.m., shaken and relieved their in-flight ordeal was over.

“We had to pretty much restrain her because she started hitting some of the passengers,” said witness Aaron Nichols.

Other witnesses on the flight explained to Local 4 how the confrontation began. They said the woman was in line to use the restroom when a man bumped into her.

“She just started going off on him. She accused him of trying to touch her and she just started slapping him in the face, going crazy on him,” said passenger Shelly Salemassi.

“She hit him in the head twice and he had no clue what was going on,” said witness Bill Miller.

A handful of passengers jumped up to helped the man and restrained the woman to her seat.

“Then she tried to go after the stewardess,” Salemassi said. “It took five or six guys to detain her after that. I don’t know what was wrong with her.”

“If the guys weren’t there, if all of us didn’t helped her, the stewardesses would have had a real problem. She was rather large woman,” said passenger Paul Lechner, “She definitely had a … problem. She was not able to focus, and when she did, you could see her eyes change. It was not a good situation all the way around.”

Shortly after the fight the crew decided to divert the plane to Denver and remove the woman.

Passengers remained on the plane while the woman was removed, and the plane left without her.