A Delta Air Lines flight attendant has reportedly been charged with attempted second-degree murder after stabbing a female coworker in the neck and arm in a horrific incident at the airline’s crew layover hotel in downtown New Orleans in the early hours of Monday morning.
In a statement, the New Orleans Police Department confirmed that it had arrested a 36-year-old male after officers were called to a large hotel used by multiple aircrews close to the busy French Quarter.
Police say the suspect was returning to the hotel on Poydras Street with several coworkers after a night out when colleagues started to notice that he was acting ‘strange.’ The victim helped the suspect to his room, but once there, an argument broke out.
During a bloody and brutal altercation, the suspect allegedly repeatedly stabbed the victim, including in the neck and arm.
The victim was able to escape the assailant’s room and fled to another floor, where residents heard a commotion and called the police. The suspect chased after the victim but was stopped by a hotel security guard who was also attacked.
A fellow flight attendant who was working on a different flight but staying at the same hotel recounted how he was woken at around 3:15 am on November 25 to the sound of the fire alarm going off.
As the flight attendant went to evacuate, he looked into the corridor and saw the hotel security guard struggling to detain the suspect.
“Assailant was spraying a fire extinguisher at hotel security; I’m assuming it was to try and get them off of him,” the witness said. “We had to get escorted out of our rooms by security and had to take the service elevators down to the lobby for the van [to the airport].”
In an internal statement shared with employees, Delta Air Lines said: “We are working with local authorities on an incident that took place at our crew hotel in MSY on Sunday evening between two flight attendants.”
“The situation is isolated and there are no safety concerns for crew members who are staying at the hotel. Delta has zero tolerance for violence against or among our people and will continue to fully cooperate with law enforcement officials. Out of respect to ongoing investigations, Delta cannot comment or confirm additional details.”
The police report notes that the victim was cut twice on the arm and once the neck. She was transported to a local hospital in a stable condition. A security guard at the hotel also sustained a cut to one of his thumbs during the altercation.
The incident has shocked the Delta flight attendant community, although some crew members have complained that the Atlanta-based carrier has not acknowledged the gravity of the situation or offered enough support to colleagues who might be affected by what happened.
Obviously, this is bad. But set aside the stabbing. Why are flight attendants partying to 3 a.m. when at least one of those flight attendants was scheduled to fly out at 2 p.m.? It may be legal to drink alcohol 11 hours before a flight, but it’s irresponsible.