Selma Blair charged with assault after allegedly attacking flight attendants
Actor Selma Blair was arrested after she was accused of injuring two flight attendants during a trip from Los Angeles to New York on a Delta Air Lines flight.
Blair is also accused of kicking a police officer taking her to the hospital and kicking a nurse once she got there.
The 54-year-old actor pleaded not guilty on Monday to two counts of assault for state charges involving the officer and the nurse, The Associated Press reports.
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Blair also faces separate federal charges based on what happened on the flight, which her representatives said was brought on by a severe medical emergency.
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On the plane, Blair allegedly punched one flight attendant and bit another. She also reportedly attempted to open the plane door while in the air, according to court documents, viewed by Variety.
Global News has not independently viewed the court documents.
A spokesperson for Delta Air Lines told Global News that there was no operational impact to the flight that landed ahead of schedule at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and law enforcement responded upon the flight’s arrival.
“Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first,” the Delta spokesperson added.
The Cruel Intentions actor was detained by police around 11 p.m. local time on Sunday after the Delta Air Lines jet parked at the gate at JFK, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The Port Authority said that Blair and one of the flight attendants were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
A police officer taking Blair to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center said in charging documents, viewed by Global News, that while she was securing Blair to a stretcher, Blair pulled a leg from the straps and kicked her repeatedly around the face, neck and chest, causing serious pain and substantial swelling.
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Later, a nurse moving Blair claimed that the actor kicked her in the chest, causing substantial pain, according to the charging documents.
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Following the incident, a representative for Blair told Variety: “Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct. Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition.”
When entering her not guilty plea on Monday, the Legally Blonde actor’s lawyer Shawn Barnes reportedly told a judge that Blair’s action were not intentional.
He said the actor, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), missed several doses of “a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms.”
Barnes said she had gotten on the flight in Los Angeles after a heavy workload and hit her head during the flight. He said these factors along with the altitude led to “a state of severe confusion and disorientation.”
The judge set Blair’s bail at US$20,000 cash or $60,000 bond and she left court with her lawyers. Her next hearing is set for Jan. 19.
The matter has been taken over by the FBI, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Global News has reached out to the New York Port Authority Police Department and the FBI for further comment, but has not received a response.
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This is not the first time Blair has been involved in an incident aboard a plane.
In 2016, Blair apologized for an outburst on a plane, during which she was removed from a flight on a stretcher.
In a statement to Variety, Blair admitted to having mixed alcohol and medication.
“I take this very seriously, and I apologize to all of the passengers and crew that I disturbed and am thankful to all of the people who helped me in the aftermath,” Blair said at the time. “I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident.”
Blair revealed that she was diagnosed with MS in 2018 in an Instagram post, writing, “I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken GPS.”
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She added, however, that thanks to the support of the cast and crew of a Netflix show she was filming, as well as her friends and family, “We are doing it. And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best.”
Blair thanked her doctor, saying that she had been trying to get a diagnosis for a long time.
“I have had symptoms for years but was never taken seriously until I fell down in front of [Dr Jason Berkley] trying to sort out what I thought was a pinched nerve. I have probably had this incurable disease for 15 years at least. And I am relieved to at least know.”
“I am in the thick of it but I hope to give some hope to others,” Blair wrote.
“I am a forthcoming person and I want my life to be full somehow. I want to play with my son again. I want to walk down the street and ride my horse. I have MS and I am OK.”
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Statistics Canada reports that it’s estimated that over 93,500 Canadians of all ages currently live with MS — an inflammatory neurological disease of the central nervous system that impacts one’s brain, spinal cord and optic nerves — and the Public Health Agency of Canada anticipates that number to rise to 133,635 by 2031.
—With files from The Associated Press
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