Yahoo News Passengers fight on flight after man refuses to wear mask
Watch: The shocking moment a fight erupts on a flight over this man's refusal to wear a mask
A fight broke out between two passengers on a flight in the US after one of them allegedly refused to wear a mask.
A fellow traveller shared a video of the altercation, which took place on an Allegiant Air service from Mesa-Phoenix, Arizona, to Provo, Utah.
In the footage, one man can be seen pulling another man’s hair, while surrounding passengers try to pull them off each other.
The younger man can be heard swearing, while a member of crew attempts to break up the pair before radioing for help.
According to fellow passenger Rylie Lansford, a baker who filmed the incident and posted it on Instagram, it all started when the man sitting behind her refused to wear a mask as he was already wearing a face shield.
A post shared by Rylie Lansford (@bakedbyrylie) on Oct 3, 2020 at 6:38pm PDT
When a flight attendant explained that he had to wear a covering over his nose and mouth, “he was not having it”, claimed Lansford in a follow-up video.
She also accused the man of being “rude” and “condescending” towards cabin crew who tried to explain the rules.
Meanwhile, Lansford alleges that the man sitting next to her started shouting at the passenger behind, saying, “It’s called Covid”, and the pair began “yelling at each other.”
She claimed that the man next to her was “drunk” and kept shouting that he needed to get home to see his mother, who was ill in a hospice.
“He would not stop swearing at everybody and threatening the guy behind him,” said Lansford, adding that he was goading the passenger who refused to wear a mask.
Both men started shouting that the other needed to be removed from the flight, according to Lansford, and eventually the flight attendants called for an external staff member to escort the maskless passenger off the plane.
When he stood up, “all hell broke loose”, claimed Lansford, with one of the men taking a swing at the other, prompting a physical fight.
“You get a glimpse of with what we deal with,” one of the flight attendants told Lansford, who added that the cabin crew were “patient” and “handled it really well”.
The police finally arrived and escorted the passenger who refused to wear a mask off the aircraft, while the other man was allowed to remain on the flight but moved to another seat.
“It was annoying, and I hope that everyone can just be nice to each other,” Lansford concluded in the video. “Wear a mask when you buy a plane ticket.”
The Independent has commented Allegiant Air for comment.
Watch: How to wear a face covering comfortably
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