LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A Los Angeles woman is facing a federal assault charge after she reportedly hit and spit on another airline passenger on a Delta flight from Tampa to Atlanta on Thursday, according to media reports.
Patricia Cornwall, 51, who according to the New York Post was a cheerleader for the Raiders NFL team when the Raiders played in Los Angeles, made her first appearance in federal court in Atlanta on Monday.
She is accused of ``assault by striking, beating, or wounding R.S.M. in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States,'' the court complaint obtained by CNN says.
The incident on Flight 2790 occurred after Cornwall was returning to her seat on the plane after visiting the bathroom and found a beverage cart blocking her path. She exchanged words with a male passenger, then reportedly hit him in the head with a closed fist, according to the unsealed criminal complaint obtained by CNN and reported on its website.
The man told an FBI investigator the woman then spit on his face and head area, the court complaint says.
Delta said in a statement released Monday and posted on the NBC News website: ``Flight 2790 from Tampa to Atlanta was met by law enforcement after an unruly customer disturbance during flight. Situations like these are rare for the vast majority of our customers and Delta has zero tolerance for unruly behavior at our airports and aboard our aircraft.''
Cornwall was not required to, and did not submit a plea in court during her appearance. If found guilty of the class A misdemeanor, Cornwall faces up to one year in prison and up to a $100,000 fine, CNN reported.
Cornwall, who was an actress and appeared in TV episodes of ``Baywatch'' and ``Married ... With Children'' under the stage name Patty Breton, was arrested by police at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was later taken into custody by the FBI, the New York Post reported. A judge ruled during her arraignment that Cornwall can only fly to return home to Los Angeles. She reportedly posted a $20,000 bond at her arraignment.
Cornwall most recently worked as a Realtor. The Post reported she received her real estate license in California in 2013 and it expired in 2017. She reportedly has an active profile with Coldwell Banker Realty that lists her as an agent.