NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Selma Blair was arrested after being accused of injuring two flight attendants during a trip from Los Angeles to New York. She was also accused Monday of assaulting a police officer who was taking her to the hospital and a nurse after she arrived.
Blair, 54, was arrested by police around 11 p.m. Sunday after the Delta Air Lines plane parked at the gate of John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement.
Blair and one of the flight attendants were taken to a hospital for evaluation, the Port Authority said.
A police officer who took her to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center said in charging documents that while she was strapping Blair onto a gurney, Blair removed one leg from the straps and kicked her repeatedly in the face, neck and chest, causing severe pain and significant swelling. Later, a nurse moving Blair said the actor kicked her in the chest, causing significant pain.
A representative for Blair told The Associated Press that the actor had a medical emergency that led to the alleged behavior.
She was arraigned Monday evening on two counts of second-degree assault in a Queens court, where a judge set her bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 surety and set the next hearing for January. She left the court with her lawyers, wearing jeans, a white hooded sweatshirt and sunglasses.
Details of what happened aboard the plane were not immediately released by the airline, police or the FBI, which was investigating, but Delta said in a statement that it “has zero tolerance for unruly or illegal behavior because the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”
In airline communications, the Delta pilot asks the tower to have medical personnel waiting at the gate to treat bite marks and bloody noses, but says ambulances were not needed.
“It looks like the disruptive passenger also hit his head on the bulkhead or something,” the pilot told the tower, according to audio posted to the ATC app. “So obviously we’ll have to have it looked at and get law enforcement involved.”
The FBI also issued Blair a notice charging him with assault related to his actions aboard the plane, according to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
These charges will be handled in the Small Violations Court in Brooklyn Federal Court. No date has been set for Blair’s appearance.
This isn’t the first time Blair has had problems on a plane. In 2016, Blair apologized for making statements she later regretted during a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles. She said she mixed alcohol with medication, causing her to pass out.
Blair has had major roles in films including 1999’s “Cruel Intentions,” 2001’s “Legally Blonde” and 2004’s “Hellboy.”
In recent years, she has championed the rights of people with disabilities. He was diagnosed multiple sclerosis in 2018. In 2023, she joined President Joe Biden at the White House to celebrate the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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Yamat reported from Las Vegas and Dalton from Los Angeles. AP Transportation Writer Josh Funk also contributed to this report.
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