New York Woman Arrested After Violent Outburst on Southwest Airlines Flight
A 32-year-old woman from New York City was arrested Tuesday following a violent, profanity-filled outburst aboard a Southwest Airlines flight preparing to depart from LaGuardia Airport, the New York Post reported.
The woman, identified as Leanna Perry, was charged with aggravated assault after she physically attacked another passenger and disrupted the flight crew just before takeoff. According to the Port Authority Police Department (PAPD), Perry became unruly during boarding, ultimately grabbing a fellow female passenger by the hair.
A video of the altercation — now viral on Reddit — captures Perry shouting obscenities, including “Fat a** b**ch,” as she lunges at the woman. Despite clear footage showing her hands entangled in the passenger’s hair, Perry insisted, “I’m not touching her,” even as other travelers pleaded with her to let go.
The situation escalated further as Perry began kicking passengers and crew members who attempted to intervene. Even after being zip-tied by the flight attendants, she continued to scream profanities and claimed, “I can’t breathe,” after falling between seats while being restrained.
The video, uploaded by Reddit user @Sonialove8 with the caption, “Another one on the No Fly list. She kicks the flight attendant in the end,” quickly went viral, sparking outrage and discussion online. The post garnered over 800 upvotes and hundreds of comments.
Commenters expressed a range of reactions. One user wrote, “Hope she gets named and shamed,” while another added, “Why is she not hog-tied? Society is way too lenient with behavior like this.” A third commenter reflected on the complexity of the situation, saying, “There’s clearly a mental health element, but assault is assault. If I were the victim, I’d press charges and ask the airline for compensation.”
Following the disturbance, Perry was removed from the aircraft and taken to a nearby hospital for a psychological evaluation. She was later transferred to the New York City Department of Corrections, the PAPD confirmed.
In a statement to the New York Post, Southwest Airlines acknowledged the incident, stating:
“The Customer involved in the incident was removed from the flight and denied boarding. We commend our Team for their professionalism during the incident.”
Port Authority officials confirmed they responded to a report of “an intoxicated passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight at Terminal B of LaGuardia Airport.”