US actress Selma Blair arrested for assault on flight attendants

Hind Al Soulia - Riyadh - BEVERLY HILLS — US actress Selma Blair was arrested late on Sunday after police responded to a call about a “physically abusive passenger” aboard a flight that had landed at Kennedy Airport in New York.

Blair, 54, has been issued a summons accusing her of assault after she allegedly attacked attendants on a plane, officials said.

Police said two flight attendants reported injuries on a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York.

One flight attendant was taken to a hospital for further evaluation. Details about the attendants’ injuries were not immediately available.

Blair was taken into custody just after 11 pm local time and was then taken to a hospital, the Port Authority Police Department said.

The FBI, which is responsible for investigating assaults on airplanes, said on Monday that it was investigating but declined to comment further.

Blair “experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct,” a representative for the actress said in a statement. “Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”

The representative did not elaborate about the specifics of what led up to the episode or describe the nature of the medical emergency.

According to CBS News, Blair was transported to hospital in an ambulance, where she allegedly kicked a police officer. Once at hospital, prosecutors have alleged that she also assaulted a nurse.

The actress was released from hospital and taken to Queens Central Booking, where she has pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, in relation to the alleged incidents in the ambulance and hospital.

CBS reported that a judge has set her bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, with the next hearing scheduled for January 19.

No date has been set for the federal case against her, which would relate to the allegations of assault specifically aboard the aircraft.

On Monday, a federal law enforcement source told the BBC that Blair had been issued a summons for a charge of assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the US.

The incident occurred aboard Delta Airlines Flight 938.

Air traffic control audio obtained by CBS included the pilot calling for medical personnel to come to the plane, citing a "bloody nose as well as some bite marks".

According to the outlet, Blair was allegedly restrained on the plane by the flight crew.

There were no operational issues on the flight. The plane landed ahead of schedule at JFK, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site.

Delta said in a statement that the airline “has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.”

Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018, an autoimmune disease that attacks the central nervous system.

The actress, who has starred in the movies “Cruel Intentions” and “Hellboy,” has talked openly about the chronic illness, which was the subject of a documentary, “Introducing, Selma Blair,” in 2021.

In 2016, Blair was removed from a flight from Cancun to Los Angeles after a disruptive outburst.

Blair said in a statement to Vanity Fair at the time that a combination of alcohol and medication caused her to “black out” and “say and do things that I deeply regret.”