In a terrifying incident that occurred on board a Delta Air Lines flight as it arrived in New Orleans on Wednesday, a passenger is accused of grabbing a flight attendant in a chokehold and threatening to cut off her head with a shattered piece of glass that he was holding on her neck.
Nelson Montgomery, 39, has been named as the suspect by the authorities. He was detained at the Jefferson Parish Correctional Center on suspicion of aggravated violence and using abusive language.
On August 2, at roughly 3:50 p.m., Delta Air flight DL2432 departed Atlanta for a trip that was supposed to take an hour, straight to New Orleans. Although the trip appeared to have gone smoothly, things suddenly changed dramatically as it approached the “Big Easy.”
One of the travelers on the Airbus A321 informed the news station WVUE that the flight attendants had requested medical help.
Before he could receive medical attention, Montgomery allegedly put one of the flight attendants in a chokehold while bleeding “profusely” from the neck.
Witnesses claim that Montgomery threatened to cut off the flight attendant’s head while holding what appeared to be a broken shard of glass.
According to reports, eight other passengers tackled Montgomery and held him until police could take him to prison. The flight attendant was treated on the spot for two cuts that she received as minor injuries.
An official from Delta Air Lines called the occurrence a “customer issue” in a statement.
“Delta flight 2432 operating from Atlanta to New Orleans was met by law enforcement personnel upon landing following a reported customer issue onboard,” the statement read.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior on our aircraft and in our airports. Nothing is more important than the safety and security of our people and our customers.”
