Selma Blair could face seven years in jail after arrest for ‘punching and biting’ Delta flight attendants during mid-air meltdown

DAILYMAIL.COM • 4h ago

By JOANNA CRAWLEY, DEPUTY SHOWBIZ EDITOR (NEWS) and BRIAN MARKS, US ASSISTANT SHOWBUSINESS EDITOR 12:17 13 Oct 2026, updated 12:22 13 Oct 2026

Selma Blair could face seven years in jail after her arrest for allegedly attacking flight attendants, a police office and a nurse on Sunday.

In court on Monday, the actress, 54, pleaded not guilty to two counts of second-degree assault for allegedly attacking the nurse and police officer.

She faces separate federal charges after being accused of injuring two flight attendants on a trip from Los Angeles to New York.

She appeared to cry during the hearing at Queens Criminal Court in New York, where she stood in handcuffs, wearing jeans and a white hooded sweatshirt.

‘This was not an intentional assault,’ Blair’s attorney Shawn Barnes said in court on Monday. ‘Ms Blair missed several doses of … a powerful medication that controls severe neurological symptoms’, Barnes added.

Blair was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has since detailed her struggles with the disease publicly.

Barnes said Monday that in addition to multiple sclerosis, Blair had been diagnosed with Parkinsonism, group of nervous system disorders that cause movement symptoms such as tremors, stiffness, and involuntary muscle actions.

Blair is due back in court on January 19. According to New York sentencing guidelines, Blair could face up to seven years in jail if she’s convicted on the state charges of attaking ther nurse and police officer.

No date has been set for the federal case against her, which would relate to the allegations of assault specifically aboard the aircraft.

She is expected to face her federal charges in petty violations court in Brooklyn, sources tell PEOPLE.

According to a law enforcement source, the FBI issued Blair a summons for alleged assaults within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States.

Blair’s lawyer told the court that the actress ‘boarded this flight after being on set and working extensive hours and exhaustive hours in the days leading up to this flight’.

He claimed that ‘at one point, during the flight, there was an incident where Miss Blair actually fell and hit her head.’

‘These factors, coupled with the altitude, resulted in a state of severe confusion and disorientation.’

Another lawyer defending the actress, Joshua Reitzas, called Blair ‘the gold standard’ and ‘someone we should look up to’ when considering ‘her body of work and what she’s done for people.’

Judge Kahn responded that ‘Ms. Blair should not get special treatment because she is a celebrity.’

The actress was pictured leaving court on Monday after Judge Khan set Blair’s bail at $20,000 in cash, or a $60,000 bond or partially secured bond.

Blair was arrested after allegedly attacking members of the flight crew aboard a Delta aircraft on Sunday – leaving distressed pilots asking for ‘medical help’ as they landed.

The actress reportedly attempted to open the aircraft door while the plane was in the air on its way to John F Kennedy International Airport from Los Angeles’ LAX, leading to a ‘confrontation’ with crew members.

It was claimed Blair punched one flight attendant and bit another, after trying to open the plane’s door in the middle of the flight – with Delta confirming the arrest to The Daily Mail.

Dispatch audio from ATC.com, obtained by CNN, indicated that a request initially went out for medics to meet the aircraft because two crew members needed care.

A later transmission stated that there was ‘a bloody nose as well as some bite marks’ – without saying who was hurt, and separately said that the passenger may have ‘bashed her head on the bulkhead.’

A Delta spokesman told The Daily Mail on Sunday: ‘Delta has zero tolerance for unruly or unlawful behavior, as the safety of our customers and crew always comes first.’

After leaving the plane, Blair allegedly took her leg out of a stretcher’s straps and kicked at a Port Authority Police Officer’s face, neck and chest, the complaint indicated, as she was being transported in an ambulance from JFK Airport Terminal 4.

According to the legal complaint, after Blair was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, she kicked the chest of a registered nurse.

Both the nurse and police officer reported being in pain after being attacked, prosecutors said, adding that the officer had a swollen jaw.

A statement from New York Port Authority to The Daily Mail read: ‘On Sunday October 11 at approximately 11pm at JFK Airport, PAPD responded to a call about a physically abusive passenger aboard Delta Airlines flight 938 which was parked at the gate after arrival from LAX.

‘Suspect was identified as Selma Blair, a 54 year-old woman. She was taken into custody and transported to the hospital for evaluation.

‘Two flight attendants also reported injuries, and one was transported to the hospital for further evaluation. The FBI is investigating this incident. For further information please reach out the airline and the FBI.’

An FBI spokesman told The Daily Mail: ‘The FBI is responsible for investigating all assaults aboard aircraft.

‘Yesterday, we were informed by our partners at Port Authority Police Department of a potential assault aboard a flight that arrived into JFK. As per long-standing DOJ policy, we do not comment on ongoing investigations. ‘

The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Blair for comment and has yet to hear back.

In 2016, Blair apologised following a incident aboard a Delta flight home from Cancun – where she allegedly mixed alcohol and medication.

Blair was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after she reportedly mixed alcohol and pills on a flight home from Cancun and began to scream about a man physically abusing her.

‘He burns my private parts. He won’t let me eat or drink. He beats me. He’s going to kill me,’ shouted Blair, who broke down in tears, fellow passengers told TMZ.

‘I made a big mistake yesterday. After a lovely trip with my son and his Dad, I mixed alcohol with medication, and that caused me to black out and led me to say and do things that I deeply regret,’ said Blair in a statement to Vanity Fair.

‘My son was with his Dad asleep with his headphones on, so there is that saving grace. I take this very seriously, and I apologize to all of the passengers and crew that I disturbed and am thankful to all of the people who helped me in the aftermath.

‘I am a flawed human being who makes mistakes and am filled with shame over this incident. I am truly very sorry.’

In 2018, Blair revealed her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system condition that damages nerves, affecting the electrical signals in the brain.

MS can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness and memory loss.

At the time, she had taken to social media and penned: ‘I have #multiplesclerosis. I am in an exacerbation. By the grace of the lord, and will power and the understanding producers at Netflix, I have a job.

‘A wonderful job. I am disabled. I fall sometimes. I drop things. My memory is foggy. And my left side is asking for directions from a broken gps. But we are doing it.

‘And I laugh and I don’t know exactly what I will do precisely but I will do my best,’ Blair had continued.

She started using a cane, which she called a ‘necessity for me’ amidst her health troubles.

But last year, Blair was happy to tell People she was ‘truly relapse-free’ from symptoms and ‘feeling really well.’

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