Authorities forcibly removed a woman from a plane at Louis Armstrong International Airport in New Orleans, L.A. Friday after she refused to wear a mask or leave the plane, said a Nola.com report.
When the incident occurred – around 9:30 a.m. – American Airlines flight 1768 was preparing to depart for Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in Texas.
"I’ve never seen anything quite like it before," said passenger Patrick Maney, a retired Tulane University professor who barely made his connection flight to San Jose, Calif. "Two heavily armed police came and told the lady to get off. She refused, and they then told her to get up. She was screaming and resisting as they hauled her up and put some kind of restraints on her hands and back."
Maney said the woman could be heard screaming while deputies held her on the gangway. She was repeating that she didn’t want to be treated like an animal.
Masks, which can prevent the spread of COVID-19, are required for all passengers on commercial flights per a federal mandate put in place this January and extended in May according to USA Today. The mandate also applies to trains, busses, airports and transportation hubs and it is set to expire in September.
Once she was off the plane, the woman was arrested at around 10 a.m. Friday, Capt. Jason Rivarde of Jefferson Parish Sherriff’s Office reported. She was cited for: disturbing the peace, remaining in place after being forbidden, resisting arrest and simple assault.
According to the FAA, 75% of passenger complaints this year have been related to masks and non-compliant passengers have paid more than $700,000 in penalties. American Airlines alone has reported more than 3,200 mask related incidents so far this year, said Nola.com.