A woman who pulled her own mask down to allegedly berate, punch and spit on a maskless passenger on a Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta on Thursday is in FBI custody, Atlanta police said in a statement on Saturday.
Video of the woman, identified as Patricia Cornwall, punching and spitting on the man who was eating and drinking with his mask off went viral. The man on several occasions refers to Cornwall as a "Karen".
The FAA earlier this year announced a Zero Tolerance Policy for any danger "posed by passengers who cause disturbances on flights or fail to follow flight crew instructions. Violators are subject to fines and jail time."
The FAA said fines for those who attack flight crews and passengers can be up to $30,000.
The Atlanta Police statement said several passengers and crew were injured in the disturbance on the Thursday flight from Tampa to Atlanta.
The statement said:
"Preliminary Information: On December 23, 2021, Atlanta Police responded to Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in reference to a disturbance call involving an unruly passenger on a Delta flight from Tampa, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. (Delta flight #2790.) Upon arrival, officers met with Delta employees at gate A11 to await the arrival of the flight. When the aircraft arrived at the gate, officers were able to meet with exiting passengers who advised that the suspect, Ms. Patricia Cornwall had caused a disturbance while in the air. This disturbance lead to the injury of fellow passengers and Delta employees. Based on the statements gathered and visible evidence, officers detained Ms. Cornwall and contacted the on-call FBI agent. The officers then relocated with Ms. Cornwall to the domestic Atlanta Police precinct where FBI agents responded and took custody of Ms. Cornwall. Nothing further to report at this time."
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