A minor league baseball player allegedly grabbed and spat on several passengers aboard an international Delta flight, forcing crew members to physically restrain him in the back of the plane and causing flight attendants to “feel uneasy and unsafe.”
Darnel Silver Collins, 19, an outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization, was arrested in Salt Lake City after causing mayhem in the skies aboard Delta Airlines flight 57 from the Netherlands on Jan. 21.
“Throughout the flight Collins was loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and to the crew,” according to the criminal complaint obtained by the Fox TV station.
The Airbus A330-900 departed Amsterdam Schipol Airport at 9:14 a.m. local time and landed at Salt Lake City International Airport at 11:33 a.m. in Utah, according to FlightAware.
Collins, who plays for the Dutch national team and is from Spijkenisse, Netherlands, resides in Surprise, Arizona on a P1 Visa and travels between the Netherlands and the US during the baseball season, according to the Justice Department.
Darnel Silver Collins, 19, an outfielder in the Kansas City Royals organization, was arrested in Salt Lake City after causing mayhem in the skies on a Delta Airlines flight on January 21. WSBC
An hour into the nearly 10-and-a-half-hour flight, a passenger observed Collins, several rows ahead of him, harassing other passengers — tapping them — as his behavior escalated throughout the flight, according to Task Force Officer Kyle Ruiz who filed the complaint in US District Court in Utah.
At one point, a female passenger got worse with Collins repeatedly touching her until she asked a crew member for help before he “physically pushed her away,” the complaint alleges.
The footballer’s antics didn’t stop when he approached a second female passenger and allegedly grabbed her arm, not letting go until other passengers and flight crew intervened.
Eight passengers were evacuated from Collins to “avoid further problems.”
Collins, however, knelt in his seat and spoke to another passenger, and the interaction became aggressive enough for a flight attendant to intervene before it became “physical.”
A Delta Airlines flight sits at the gate at Salt Lake City International Airport on July 1, 2021. AP
Crew members then moved Collins from his seat to a seat at the back of the plane, forcing another 8-10 passengers to make room for him before Collins allegedly spat on one passenger, hitting at least two people with his saliva.
The unruly passenger also went to the rear galley where he aggressively confronted another flight attendant.
“Hey Bitch! Are you talking now?” Collins asked before being told to sit down, according to the complaint.
Crew members restrained Collins to a seat at the back of the plane when he continued to harass passengers. Sinisa Botas – stock.adobe.com
“She felt unsafe but was thankful there was a car between them because otherwise she felt she could have reached him,” the complaint said.
After being placed back in his seat, Collins proceeded to touch the passengers walking next to him and even those sitting two rows in front.
Three seat belt connectors were used to secure Collins’ midsection so he remained seated for the remaining two hours of the flight.
Flight crew members had to check on Collins more than other passengers and also had to make sure someone was with him for about 9 hours of the 10-hour flight.
The criminal complaint charges Collins with two violations of US code: Interference with Flight Crew and Assault by beating, beating and injuring in the Special Aircraft Jurisdiction of the United States.
Collins is being held at the Salt Lake County Main Jail on a Federal Inmate Agreement, according to jail records seen by The Post.
If convicted, Collins could be jailed for up to six months and fined for the attack under Federal maritime law, but under US aircraft jurisdiction rules he could be jailed for up to 20 years for harassing a flight crew.
His initial court appearance on the charges is scheduled for February 1, 2024, at 10:30 a.m.
A Royals spokesperson told the Daily Mail that they hope Collins “gets the care he needs.”
Delta flight attendants said they felt uneasy and unsafe. AP
Collins signed a minor league contract with the Royals in January 2021 and has since appeared in 91 games over three seasons with several Rookie league teams.
Collins’ older brother Darryl is also an outfielder in the Royals organization, most recently playing for the High-A Affiliate Quad Cities River Bandits.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
