Selma Blair Charged With Second-Degree Assault After Delta Flight Incident

Selma Blair was arrested Sunday night at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport after an alleged violent incident aboard Delta Flight 938 from Los Angeles. The actress was taken into custody by the Port Authority Police Department and transported to a hospital for evaluation, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Multiple outlets reported that Blair, 54, allegedly punched one flight attendant and bit another after attempting to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air. Two flight attendants reported injuries, and one was taken to a hospital for further evaluation, the Port Authority said.

Delta Air Lines addressed the situation in a statement: "Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first." The airline said the incident had no operational impact and the flight landed ahead of schedule.

Blair's representative attributed the episode to a medical emergency. "Selma experienced a medical emergency that led to the alleged conduct," her spokesperson said in a statement. "Upon landing, she received immediate medical attention and is currently in stable condition."

The FBI is investigating the incident, as it does for all assaults aboard aircraft. "Yesterday, we were informed by our partners at Port Authority Police Department of a potential assault aboard a flight that arrived into JFK airport," the New York FBI Field Office said in a statement, adding that it would not comment further due to Department of Justice policy.

Charges and court appearance

Blair was charged with two counts of second-degree assault in Queens Criminal Court and released Monday after posting $20,000 bail, according to Variety. The charges stem from allegations that she attacked a police officer while being transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and later kicked a nurse, according to court documents cited by Fox13 News.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that the FBI also issued Blair a federal summons charging her with assault within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. She is due back in court in January.

A previous in-flight episode

The arrest comes almost exactly ten years after Blair was removed from another Delta flight returning to Los Angeles from Cancún following an outburst mid-flight. She later apologized, telling Vanity Fair in June 2016 that she had mixed alcohol with medication and blacked out.

“I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret.”

: Selma Blair, in a 2016 statement to Vanity Fair