An Indianapolis man is facing felony assault charges for allegedly smacking a flight attendant’s rear end after she inadvertently skipped his drink order aboard a May 9 flight from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles, forcing the plane to divert to Atlanta, where the passenger was arrested.
The Delta Air Lines crewmember is identified in court filings as “P.L.L.”.
“While stopped nearby servicing another passenger with a beverage, P.L.L. felt a slap to her buttocks area with sufficient force to cause her body to move forward,” the complaint contends. “Immediately thereafter, she turned around and observed Maluck raising his hands and stating words to the effect of, ‘I didn’t do anything.’”
The second flight attendant suspended beverage service so she could get P.L.L. away from Maluck, after which the lead flight attendant notified the pilot about what had happened, the complaint goes on. The pilot then “determined it was in the best interest of safety and security to divert the aircraft” to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
Officers from the Atlanta Police Department met the flight at the gate, and detained Maluck for further questioning, the complaint states. They, in turn, contacted the FBI, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed aboard commercial flights, and a federal air marshal assigned to an FBI unit at the airport interviewed P.L.L., the second flight attendant, and Maluck individually, according to the complaint.
Maluck was then placed under arrest for interference with flight crew members or attendants, and transported to the Atlanta City Detention Center. He appeared in court for a preliminary hearing May 11, and was ordered to be detained pending trial.
Maluck was indicted June 3 by a federal grand jury in Atlanta.
If convicted, Maluck faces up to 20 years in prison.