Pilot allegedly assaulted flight attendant at bar over mask dispute
Employee is accused of attacking another man ‘over the wearing or not wearing of masks,’ police said
SAN JOSE >> A Southwest Airlines pilot was under investigation after allegedly assaulting another crew member at a San Jose hotel during a mask dispute, authorities said.
The employee was cited for assault and battery after an Oct. 18 confrontation over masks at the DoubleTree Hotel, located at 2050 Gateway Place, according to San Jose police. The suspect is accused of assaulting another man “over the wearing or not wearing of masks,” officials said.
USA Today reported that the suspect is a Southwest Airlines pilot and the victim is a flight attendant.
Police said the case has been referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for review. The pilot’s name was not released.
A Southwest spokesperson said that there was a “crew disagreement during an overnight trip” and the employee was placed on leave during the investigation.
“Our internal investigation, now ongoing, would regard the outcome of charges filed with local authorities,” the spokesperson said.
The latest incident follows an uptick in violent behavior aboard airplanes during the pandemic. A 20-year-old Irvine man was arrested and charged Monday after he allegedly punched a flight attendant in the face last week during an American Airlines flight from New York to Orange County. The pilot diverted the plane to Denver.
A California woman was charged with assault in federal court in September after she allegedly punched a flight attendant on a Southwest Airlines plane in May. The woman was asked to buckle her seat belt, stow her tray table and put on her mask before the plane landed. She allegedly punched the flight attendant in the face and grabbed her hair, knocking out two teeth and requiring four stitches under her eye.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it had received 4,941 reports of unruly passengers through the month of October.
The previous high was 310 in 1995.