On a Delta Air Lines international flight, a minor league baseball player grabbed and spat on multiple passengers, forcing flight attendants to physically restrain him in the back of the plane, causing flight attendants to say they were “feeling anxious and unsafe.” It is said that he was forced to do so.
Kansas City Royals outfielder Darnell Silver Collins, 19, was arrested in Salt Lake City on Jan. 21 after causing havoc aboard Delta Flight 57 from the Netherlands.
“During the flight, Collins was loud, disruptive, threatening, and abusive toward other passengers and crew members,” according to the criminal complaint. Obtained by Fox Television.
The Airbus A330-900 took off from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol at 9:14 a.m. local time and landed at Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah at 11:33 a.m. According to FlightAware.
Collins, who played on the Dutch national team, is from Spijkenisse, Netherlands, and resides in Surprise, Arizona on a P1 visa, splitting his time between the Netherlands and the United States during the baseball offseason. According to the Department of Justice.
According to task force officials, an hour into the approximately 10-and-a-half-hour flight, a passenger reported that Collins had escalated throughout the flight and was berating other passengers several rows in front of him. He said he witnessed it happening.Kyle Lewis filed the complaint in the U.S. District Court of Utah.
At one point, the female passenger became upset as Collins continued to grope her, and asked a flight attendant for help, before he “physically pushed her away,” according to the complaint.
The athlete’s antics continued, and he approached the second female passenger, grabbed her arm and did not let go until another passenger and crew intervened.
Eight passengers were removed from Collins “to avoid further problems.”
However, the interaction became so aggressive that one of the flight attendants intervened before it became “physical” as Collins knelt on her seat and spoke to the other passenger.
Later, after flight attendants moved Collins from his assigned seat to the back of the plane to make room for eight to 10 more passengers, Collins spat on a passenger and at least two people It is said that he attacked
The unruly passenger made his way to the rear galley, where he violently confronted another flight attendant.
“Hey bitch! Are you raising your voice now?” Collins asked before being told to sit down, according to the complaint.
“She felt in danger, but was thankful that there was a cart in between, because she felt he could have reached out to her otherwise,” the complaint states.
After being returned to his seat, Collins continued to touch the passenger walking beside him and even the passenger sitting two rows in front of him.
Three seatbelt extensions were used to restrain Collins’ midsection to keep him seated for the remaining two hours of the flight.
Flight crew had to check on Collins more than other passengers, and they had to make sure someone was by his side for about nine hours of the 10-hour flight.
The criminal complaint charges Collins with two counts of violating the United States Code. One is interfering with a flight crew member, and the other is assault by hitting, assaulting, or injuring within the special aviation jurisdiction of the United States.
Collins is being held at the Salt Lake County Main Jail under the Federal Detainer-Interstate Agreement, according to jail records reviewed by the newspaper.
If convicted, Collins could face up to six months in prison and a fine for assault. federal maritime law; But below US Aircraft Jurisdiction Regulations If you obstruct a flight crew from performing their duties, you could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
His first court appearance on the indictment is scheduled for February 1, 2024 at 10:30 a.m.
Royals spokesperson told the Daily Mail They said they hope Collins “gets the care he needs.”
Collins signed a minor league deal with the Royals in January 2021 and has since played in 91 games in three seasons with multiple teams in the Rookie League.
Collins’ older brother, Darryl, is also an outfielder in the Royals organization, most recently playing for the High-A affiliate, the Quad-Cities River Bandits.
