Two women were arrested and a flight was diverted to Arizona after an altercation was set off by the use of racial slurs aboard an airplane, police said.
Kelly Pichardo, 30, and Leeza Rodriguez, 29, were arrested in Phoenix last Wednesday after the incident, which occurred on an American Airlines flight headed to Los Angeles from Dallas.
“Witnesses reported that the two women were using racial slurs when a male passenger asked them to stop using that language. Kelly Pichardo became upset and allegedly spit at the male passenger who had asked her to stop using that language,” Sgt. Mercedes Fortune, a Phoenix police spokeswoman, told the Washington Examiner on Monday.
“The male passenger then began to record the two women, and that is when Leeza Rodriguez struck the man’s hand to keep him from recording the incident. Both women were arrested,” she said in a statement.
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American Airlines spokesman Derek Walls told the Washington Examiner on Monday that the two women have been barred from flying with the airline until an internal investigation is completed.
“Upon arrival, the flight was met by local law enforcement who removed and arrested two individuals for verbally and physically assaulting other customers and flight crew members,” Walls said in a statement. “Their behavior was disturbing and unacceptable, and they have been placed on our internal refuse list pending further investigation.”
“We continue to investigate this incident and are working directly with impacted customers to ensure their well-being. We thank our crewmembers for their professionalism in managing a difficult situation,” he added.
The flight went on to complete its trip without further incident following the diversion.
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Pichardo was charged with disorderly conduct, and Rodriguez was charged with assault and disorderly conduct. The Washington Examiner reached out to police in Phoenix for further comment.
