Full Breakdown
Selma Blair Arrest After Delta Flight Incident
By Drooid · · How we work
Incident Overview
On a Sunday night Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to New York, actress Selma Blair was removed from the aircraft and later arrested in New York City. Police allege she injured two flight attendants, bit one of them, and subsequently kicked a Port Authority police officer and a hospital nurse. Blair pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault in state court and faces separate federal assault charges. A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond, and a next hearing is scheduled for January.
Background & Context
Blair publicly disclosed a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis in 2018 and has spoken about living with chronic pain and a related condition called pseudobulbar affect. She has been an outspoken disability-rights advocate and, in 2023, participated in a White House event marking the ADA anniversary. The 2016 incident in which she was removed from a Delta flight after mixing alcohol with medication and blacking out is referenced by her representatives as a prior similar episode.
Official Statements & Responses
- The statement also called suggestions that she does not have MS “outrageous” and highlighted her daily pain and the presence of a service dog that was taken by authorities.
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confirmed that two flight attendants reported injuries, one of which required hospital care, and that a police officer and a nurse were allegedly kicked.
- A judge set bail at $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond and scheduled the next state-court appearance for January.
- A federal law-enforcement official (speaking on condition of anonymity) said the FBI issued a notice charging Blair with assault under the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States; no court date has been set.
Data & Statistics
- Charges: two counts of second-degree assault (state); federal assault charge pending.
- Bail: $20,000 cash or $60,000 bond.
- Injuries reported: one flight attendant with bite marks, another with a laceration; the officer and nurse each reported substantial swelling and pain from alleged kicks.
- Legal timeline: arrest on Sunday night; not-guilty plea entered Monday; next state hearing in January; federal case pending with no set date.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the nature of the in-flight conduct. CBS News and the Port Authority complaint describe a bite to one flight attendant, while other outlets emphasize kicking of the officer and nurse after the aircraft landed. Details of the alleged kicking incidents rely on police charging documents; the exact sequence of events and any additional injuries remain undisclosed by the airline, the FBI, or the court.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It sounds like the disruptive passenger also bashed her head on the bulkhead or something like that, so we'll obviously have to get her potentially checked out as well as well as law enforcement.” — Sources
What’s Next
The federal assault case will proceed in the petty violations court in Brooklyn, with a date yet to be scheduled. State proceedings will continue with the January hearing, where the court will address the assault charges and any conditions of release.