EVA flight crew breaks up brawl during flight to SFO

A viral video circulating on social media appears to capture a violent altercation between two passengers aboard a longhaul flight from Taipei to San Francisco.

The incident occurred on EVA Air Flight BR 8, departing from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and bound for San Francisco International Airport on Tuesday. In the footage, an argument between two men escalates into a physical confrontation, prompting the intervention of three female flight attendants.

According to EVA Air, the altercation erupted three hours into the 11hour flight.

The airline told Taiwanese media that the dispute originated when one passenger sought to change seats mid-flight due to a neighboring passenger’s coughing. Upon relocating to what he assumed was an unoccupied seat, he encountered another passenger who had been assigned that seat, leading to a confrontation.

The video shows the flight attendants swiftly intervening, restraining the two men and relocating them to separate areas of the aircraft to prevent further escalation, as confirmed by EVA Air.

Contrary to initial reports that the feuding passengers were arrested upon landing, a San Francisco International Airport spokesperson clarified that the crew did not request police intervention but that “several passengers” required a medical evaluation and were then released to Customs & Border Protection.

The Chronicle reached out to the agency for more information on their status.

EVA Air commended its staff for promptly resolving the incident and said it would offer followup services to check on the well-being of its crew members.

The airline reiterated its zero-tolerance stance toward passenger misconduct.