A woman who claimed to be six months pregnant was arrested and charged in an altercation at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport.
The woman viciously beat up a Spirit Airlines employee despite claiming she is with child.
Witnesses said the traveler was the aggressor, hitting the worker first. She was upset because the gate agent said she was not going to fly on the flight due to various threatening comments she made before the boarding process.
Video captures the assault. In the background, people are yelling for them to fight, but they toss and tumble through the gate area, knocking themselves into barriers during the all-out brawl.
“Stop! Stop!” a woman yells.
Que Maria Scott, 29, is seen hitting Jasmine Rhoden in the face while the two were at a gate in the airport. Scott, who was said to have smelled like she was drinking despite later saying she is pregnant, was scheduled to be on a flight on Sunday, April 30.
A statement given to the Atlanta Police Department airport division by Rhoden explained Scott came to the gate desk to ask about her flight. Scott did not like the answer she received and started murmuring to others about fighting Rhoden, who was working as a gate agent.
“Rhoden stated that the passenger made a statement to other passengers around that, she will beat a b**** up if she does not get on the plane,” the report said, adding, “At that moment, Ms. Rhoden explained that she was going to deny her boarding to this flight due to her statement and actions at the gate area.”
Rhoden closed the gate, according to the report, which ticked Scott off more.
The Philadelphia native pulled her sweatpants up and prepared for physical confrontation. Then she leaped at the Spirit worker “swinging her arms and hitting Ms. Rhoden on the left side of her face.”
The video shows Scott pulling the woman’s hair and pummeling her in the face, “pulling her into a barrier” and “causing them to fall to the ground.”
Four passengers witnessing the fight sprang into action and pulled Scott off of the agent.
APD bodycam footage shows Rhoden saying Scott needed “to be arrested.”
In protest, Scott yelled to the officers, “I’m pregnant, I’m pregnant,” as they handcuffed her before taking her to the Clayton County Jail in nearby Jonesboro.
Once at the county jail, she was given a $1,500 bond and ordered to pay $350 in fees.
People asked on social media, “Why does Spirit airlines have the most fights of any airline? I’ve flown Alaska and SW my whole life , no fights, but flew spirit to Vegas last year and there was a minor scuffle that ended pretty quickly but still was crazy to see.”
“Spirit Airlines and UFC need to go ahead and team up to offer airport pay per views fights They can have weight classes and the whole 9 yards Standard attire for all fights would be pajama pants though,” another person on Twitter posted.
Just months ago, the airline experienced another issue with two unruly passengers that became violent.
In February, a mother, 39, and daughter, 17, duo fought a Spirit agent who told them they would have to pay an extra fee for their luggage because it exceeded the size of a carry-on.
Even though this altercation became physical, no one was arrested.
Scott has been charged with disorderly conduct. While in custody, she continued to tell officers she was in a motherly way.
Although Scott insisted she was pregnant, she was never taken to the hospital after the altercation and arrest. She was seen by medical professionals, according to the APD.
“Atlanta fire and EMS was called out to the precinct to check Ms. Scott out for any pains or discomforts,” the report stated. “Ms. Scott was not transported to the hospital.”
In Georgia, according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, drinking while pregnant in Georgia is a form of child abuse, a punishable crime.
Scott has since been placed on a “No Fly” list.
Rhoden still works for the airline, and no charges have been filed against her.
