Spirit Airlines is facing flak for suspending a black airline agent after he was caught in a fight with a woman who yelled racial and homophobic slurs at him. The video of the fight which took place at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has gone viral on the internet.
The airport police report has identified the agent as Emmanuel Sullivan of Grapevine and the woman as Ayriana Davis of Fort Worth.
Altercation Over Seating Arrangement
The Dallas Morning News reported that in the altercation which took place on Thursday, was caught on camera by an onlooker. The 90-second clip begins with the Spirit Airlines representative shouting at the woman. "You have lost your mind! Don't touch me ever in your life!" he screams at the denim shorts clad passenger. As she is trying to get away, she shouts back, "Get out of my face! "f—ing f—ott!"
The video then shows a man trying to separate the quarrelling duo when the woman pushes the agent and calls him a "dumbass" N-word. Seconds later, she reaches over the man is seen slapping the airlines employee.
The enraged employee then runs behind her and pushes her to the ground as he falls down too. He then gets up and punches the woman on her head. Soon several other passengers join in and separate them.
"Everybody! Back up from me! This bitch put her hands on me," the agent shouts while warning the woman that she "got the wrong person" to fight with.
The outlet reported that the fight took place over the seating on the flight. In a statement issued later, the company while announcing the vendor's suspension said, "Our vendor at DFW has suspended the agent. Spirit Airlines does not tolerate violence of any kind, and we are working with local law enforcement to investigate this matter."
Backlash on Social Media
While there were many who applauded the decision taken by the airlines to suspend the employee, there were several others who didn't. After the names of the employee and the woman were released, social media began criticizing the woman.
"You shouldn't have slapped him, you called him racial names and then had the audacity to put hands on him. You got what you deserved, every action has a reaction and we're not our ancestors," tweeted a user.
"Just recently the airlines were all abuzz about employees being abused but I guess whatever this guy experienced is not worth talking about . No one should have to be physically assaulted at work . Full video needed," read another tweet.
"2022 summed up right there. He gets verbally and racially abused and then she assaults him. So what do @SpiritAirlines do they suspend their employee great work," expressed a user.
"That's crazy y'all suck! He defended himself and got fired. The woman should be banned from the airport. And give him his job back," wrote a user.
