A 39-year-old man was arrested and charged after witnesses say he had a bizarre and violent outburst on a Delta Air Lines flight from Atlanta that was landing in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Wednesday afternoon, according to reports.
The man, identified as Nelson Montgomery, is set to be charged with simple battery, disturbing the peace, and aggravated battery due to the incident at Louis Armstrong International Airport, WVUE-TV reported.
An unidentified witness who was asked to provide medical attention to Montgomery told the local news station that he was bleeding from his neck. The witness alleged that Montgomery grabbed a flight attendant and threatened to “cut off her head” with what looked like a piece of broken glass if anyone on Flight 2432 intervened.
Nola.com reported that multiple passengers had to work together to restrain Montgomery until deputies with the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office arrived at the scene. A spokesperson for JPSO said that the victim had a minor cut from the encounter with Montgomery and received treatment from first responders, the outlet reported.
“[Montgomery] grabbed a flight attendant. She suffered two superficial lacerations from the sharp object and was later treated on scene,” the sheriff’s office said, ABC News reported.
Law enforcement said Montgomery used the object on himself before he attacked the flight attendant. He was transported to a hospital after his arrest and later sent to the local jail after treatment.
Five days before the incident, Montgomery posted an animation video on his Facebook page of a man struggling to help a woman who is hanging off a cliff, but the woman doesn’t do anything to help push her body weight up, so she falls.
“When you die, people cry and beg for you to come back, but sometimes when you’re here, they don’t even show they care,” says a meme Montgomery shared on his Facebook page on June 28.
According to a statement sent to WVUE-TV, Delta condemned the incident and said law enforcement was present when the flight landed following “a reported customer issue onboard.”
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior on our aircraft and in our airports,” the statement said. “Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our people and our customers.”
