Sha’Carri Richardson, an American track and field athlete, was removed from an American Airlines flight after a Saturday confrontation with a flight attendant, according to a post on her Instagram.
Prior to takeoff, the flight attendant, whom Richardson refers to as “John,” allegedly insulted the 23-year-old passenger while she was on the phone. She recorded herself in her seat in a video and then panned to the flight attendant.
“Prior to the video this gentleman asked me to get off a cell phone call, I did,” Richardson captioned one of her videos. “I stated to him I didn’t like the tone he used with me. Following that while standing in front of me doing the safety protocols he continued to lean over to look at my phone. He asked to see that my phones were in airplane more at this point. He demanded that me show him. Which I did in front of him.”
Although Richardson claimed to be on vacation, it’s unclear where she was going or coming from. After she showed the flight attendant on tape and they continued to quarrel, he retreated behind a curtain. Richardson addressed the flight attendant in an animated manner after requesting that she end the recording. The footage does not show the flight attendant’s initial remarks to Richardson.
“I’m recording me but you jumped in my video, so I caught you, because you jumped in my video,” Richardson told the flight attendant. “You’re harassing me at this point, so I think you should stop. I think you should stop.”
Multiple passengers can subsequently be heard growing aggravated with Richardson, telling her to stop arguing with the flight attendant.
“Y’all see him right? Y’all see him right? Y’all see him right? I’m sorry, it’s not me,” Richardson responded. “Talk to him. No ma’am. Do no talk to me like that. I’m an adult. Do not talk to me like that. Do not talk to me like that. Tell him to stop. If you do not know what’s going on, do not yell at me.”
Richardson claims that several of the other passengers on board disrespected her after she got into another fight with a different person. Another passenger can be heard saying, “Thank you, by the way, I’m going to miss my connection, I have to get off the plane now,” as she explains that she believes the flight attendant should have been expelled as well.
“Oh, so you’re worried about a connection when a grown man is disrespecting me?” Richardson responded.
“I don’t give a s–t,” the passenger responded.
Richardson was then escorted off the plane, and continued to trade shouts with passengers and flight crew on her way out. Applause could be heard as she exited.
