- An LA-bound flight was diverted to Oklahoma on Thursday night because of an "unruly" passenger.
- The passenger had become combative and attacked a flight attendant and an air marshal, Delta said.
- Delta said the passenger was removed from Flight 324 by local law enforcement.
A Delta Air Lines flight traveling from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles was diverted on Thursday evening to Oklahoma City after an "unruly" passenger assaulted a flight attendant and an air marshal, the airline said.
The passenger, described to be in his 30s, had become combative with a flight attendant for an unknown reason, CBSLA reported, citing the flight captain.
When an air marshal tried to intervene, the passenger attacked the officer and was then placed into custody by the marshal, per CBSLA. The attendant and marshal didn't sustain major injuries, and both did not require hospitalization, wrote the outlet.
ABC News reported that the plane arrived at around 9.35 p.m. local time at the Will Rogers World Airport.
Delta confirmed the incident in a statement to Insider.
"Delta applauds the quick action and professionalism of the crew and Federal Air Marshals on Delta flight 342 from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles, which diverted to Oklahoma City after a customer became unruly and was removed from the flight by local law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," the statement read.
The airline provided no further details on the incident. The Oklahoma City Police Department and the Will Rogers World Airport did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.
As of December 7, the Federal Aviation Authority has logged more than 5,553 reports of unruly passenger behavior this year (though only 292 enforcement cases have been initiated). Flight attendants have lamented a stark rise in violent incidents and disturbances as flights resumed in the wake of COVID-19 travel restrictions, Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani reported.
The FAA announced a total $225,287 in fines on November 10 against 10 passengers who assaulted airline staff or caused disturbances, and an additional $161,823 in civil penalties against another eight unruly passengers later that month.