‘Baywatch’ actress who attacked an elderly passenger was triggered by pushback when she likened herself to a civil rights icon
The Californian woman arrested for attacking a fellow traveler on a Delta Air Lines flight has been identified as a former actress, Playboy model and NFL cheerleader, but the reason she punched the man is particularly bizarre.
The woman was identified as Patricia Cornwall, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by the Daily Mail on Tuesday. The filing showed that the fireworks, which took place last week aboard a Delta plane, began after Cornwall was returning from the restroom and was asked by a flight attendant to find an open seat. She was asked to do so for the beverage cart to get through the aisle.
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The 51-year-old Cornwall, who is white, replied, “What am I, Rosa Parks?” The quip alluded to the black civil rights hero who refused to give up her seat and move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955. According to the complaint, an 80-year-old man who was sitting nearby retorted that Cornwall “isn’t black… this isn’t Alabama, and this isn’t a bus.”
As seen in a video that went viral on social media, a heated argument ensued. Cornwall, who was standing with her mask pulled down to her neck, told the elderly passenger to “put your f***ing mask on.” The man, who had removed his mask to eat, continued to argue with her, at which point Cornwall challenged him to “stand your f***ing ass up.” He replied, “Sit down, Karen.” Cornwall shot back with vulgarity, saying, “Sit down, p****.”
The exchange continued to escalate, and after failing to persuade a flight attendant to order the man to put his mask on, Cornwall punched the passenger, scratched him and spat on him. The attack reportedly left several passengers and airline employees injured, including one person who was scalded with boiling water. Cornwall was arrested when the flight landed in Atlanta and was taken into custody by the FBI.
Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta got crazy‼️ pic.twitter.com/I9BZUKv3LB