Passenger Threatens To Kill Flight Attendant During Mid-Air Confrontation, Sending 3 To Hospital

A tense situation arose on a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Chicago on Sunday after a female passenger accompanied by a child threatened to kill a flight attendant.

The woman was reportedly angry at being stopped from taking her kid to the bathroom and asked to remain seated as the flight prepared to land, as per NBC5.

A few passengers on the flight managed to capture the incident on video, and one clip shared on TikTok shows the woman, identified only by her first name as Sarah, telling an attendant, "I will kill you. I will f---ing kill you."

The video did not clarify what incensed her. Sarah allegedly yelled at the attendants that her toddler "had to throw up," the outlet reported.

The mother was sounding off with her baby secured to her hip, as seen in the video. An attendant who kept calling her "ma'am was heard trying to reason with Sarah who kept calling her "ma'am" Insider reported.

Another attendant continued asking the woman to return to her seat but Sarah allegedly shoved one of the attendants and continued to yell for the remainder of the flight.

Chicago police responded to the landing gate at O'Hare International Airport. Three people, the mother, her child and one of the flight attendants were taken to a hospital for observation, according to a statement from the Chicago Police Department.

The airline didn't comment on the nature of the injuries but confirmed no serious harm was done.

United said that a "disruptive customer" was removed by law enforcement upon landing, and "one member of the flight attendant crew was taken to a hospital for evaluation."

The carrier's statement also praised the crew for their "professionalism and for putting the safety of our team and customers first."

The FBI and Chicago police were jointly investigating this incident. It is unclear if charges will be filed against the woman.

Corliss King, Vice President of Transport Union Workers Local 556 representing more than 15,000 flight attendants nationwide has called for stricter federal rules to keep the in-flight disturbances and assaults in check ahead of the busiest travel time of the year.

"That small number of people that are insistent on behaving unruly, on behaving dangerously, represent a threat not just to flight crews but to our flying passengers as well," King said, and suggested the Abusive Passengers Act be passed in Congress.

The law would require a list of unruly passengers to be drawn up and would prohibit them from flying on commercial flights.

"Our flight attendants are the first line of defense, but we should also be protected," King said. "So we are looking for the public, federal legislators and we're looking for our carriers to band together to protect us. We are the most vulnerable."

In another incident of mid-air disruption reported earlier this month, an entire United Airlines flight was forced to deplane after a couple relentlessly argued with the crew over their seating arrangement. According to the husband, the woman was given a window seat despite allegedly paying $142 for the aisle side due to claustrophobia, and ended up with her "worst-case scenario, against the wall."