A passenger who watched a violent confrontation on a Southwest Airlines flight over the weekend is sharing her view of what led up to it. The accounts of those involved differ, and the case is still developing.
The incident happened Sunday on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego. A passenger named Vyvianna was arrested on suspicion of felony battery causing serious bodily injury once the plane landed. She was released on a $35,000 bond. A flight attendant was treated at a hospital and released. A union representative said the flight attendant lost two teeth.
Michelle, a San Diego resident sitting two rows away, told Fox 40 that the flight attendant came across as “very unprofessional” while asking Vyvianna and her family to put on masks. Michelle said she was not able to record the first part of the exchange, only the second. She said she heard Vyvianna say three times, “Get off of me. Quit touching me. Get your hands off of me.”
Michelle also said the flight attendant continued to yell after the punches, and that people on board debated whether to start filming. She did not defend the violence, and said the punches came after the verbal exchange escalated.
Southwest has a different account. A company spokesman said the passenger “repeatedly ignored standard inflight instructions and became verbally and physically abusive upon landing,” and said the dispute was not about masks. Vyvianna told CBS 8 she acted in self defense and declined to say more.
Video of the incident has been widely shared, and viewers are split on who was in the wrong. No one has been convicted of anything. Baller Alert will update this story as more information comes out.
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