Depending on who you're sitting near, flying can best or worst way to travel. Unfortunately, although it's usually more convenient, traveling via plane usually leaves you crammed into tiny seats for hours and if you have bad luck, your neighbor can be questionable. Well, on a recent flight from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Las Vegas, an apparently drunk woman showcased just how bad it can get when she was caught throwing a total fit. Her meltdown allegedly ensued after she discovered she was seated next to a 3-year-old. Footage of her fit has since gone viral, and many people are shocked over how things got so ugly, so quickly.
Valerie Gonzalez was reportedly flying on Valentine's Day when she realized she was seated next to a 3-year-old -- and flew into a rage.
The 32-year-old had been drinking before she got on her JetBlue flight, but quickly got heated when she realized she was sitting next to a child, according to CBS 4 Miami. “I’m not sitting next to a (expletive) 3-year-old. I’ve been drinking all day,” she said. The woman then got up and moved to a seat that was not assigned to her.
But apparently the seat switch still didn't satisfy Gonzalez. So she then started to shout profanities and spit at other passengers.
It's not clear exactly what Gonzalez found wrong with the passengers in front of her that caused her profanity-laced outburst, but she later made a vague reference to calling them "old." Regardless, her fit upset other passengers on her flight and, of course, one person pulled out his phone and started to record her meltdown.
CBS 4 Miami reported that it was then that the flight crew asked Gonzalez to leave the plane and called security. But the woman wasn't going to exit quietly. Once she noticed that people were filming her she started to get more and more angry, reported news.au.com. "Oh, you wanna tape me? Make, this viral, (expletive)!” she shouted.
As the flight crew got closer and tried to get her off the plane, she kept lashing out at them. “Make this viral! You wanna make this viral, make it viral. What the (expletive) did I do? I called someone old cause they were?" she said. “Alright, I’ll get my bags. I’ll take my (expletive). (Expletive) all ya’ll.”
As she was being escorted off the plane, Gonzalez made one last shot at her fellow passengers. "Oh because I called someone old I get kicked off the (expletive) plane. Bye. Bye, enjoy your self in Vegas babies. Vegas baby, Vegas. I’ll be there in an hour,” CBS 4 Miami reported.
An arrest report said that once Gonzalez was off the plane, she tried to re-enter the flight. A gate agent tried to block the belligerent woman, but Gonzalez hit her in retribution. A passenger later told a deputy who investigated the case that Gonzalez had also gotten violent with her. She said she was sitting in the same row as Gonzalez but refused to switch seats and Gonzalez hit her.
After Gonzalez was taken into police custody, she allegedly refused to walk or cooperate with the officer's commands.
Authorities reportedly put Gonzalez in a wheelchair and rolled her out of the terminal. An officer on the scene noted that restraints had to be put on her legs to keep Gonzalez from kicking people. Police charged her with battery and she was seen in court Friday morning. The report noted that she was mostly silent as police set her bail.
JetBlue, the airline where the meltdown happened, also released a statement:
On Thursday, February 14 — during the boarding of flight 7 from Fort Lauderdale to Las Vegas — crew members reported a disruptive customer onboard. Local law enforcement was called and the customer was removed from the flight. Additional details should be directed to Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
