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American Airlines Flight Diverted, Woman Arrested

Last updated on Wednesday, September 16, 2015

(INDIANAPOLIS) - An American Airlines flight was diverted to Indianapolis Monday due to an unruly passenger. The woman has been identified as Daniela Velez-Reyes.

A spokesperson for American Airlines tells Eyewitness News Flight 1284 was flying from Miami to Chicago when it was diverted around 6 p.m. Indianapolis Airport Police, the TSA and the FBI are investigating the incident, which reportedly involved a female passenger who may have struck a flight crew member.

An airport spokesperson says the crew member and a passenger were struck while the woman was being restrained and moved to the back of the plane until it could land. Those who were struck were being checked for injury by fire department personnel at the airport.

Airport police boarded the plane and arrested the woman. During that time, an officer was kicked by the woman.

A passenger on the flight recounted the events Monday evening on Twitter.

"Just had emergency landing..pilot aggressively yelled cabin lock down everyone in their seats/need large men to restrain a psngr immediately," tweeted @djsavi, who also posted video of the woman's arrest.

To watch video of the woman's arrest visit http://www.mobypicture.com/user/djsavi/view/18465523

"Definitely the most scared I've ever been in my life. Could only hear someone screaming and see several people in the back of the plane," he tweeted. "I knew we were making a landing before they announced it because we started descending really fast...was scary because no 1 knew anything."

"No one knew anything until we landed and when we landed," said passenger Jim Saviano. "They said authorities would be boarding plane and we needed to stay in our seats. They went to back of plane where they were holding the passenger and you could hear her yelling expletives and being obnoxious.

"I went to the back of the plane once they allowed us to get up and the flight attendant was icing her face and I asked her what happened. She said that the passenger was being obnoxious and had hit another passenger, and she asked her to come to the back of the plane so that she could talk with her, and while she was talking with her, the woman grabbed the flight attendant by the face, she kissed her and then she punched her in the face."

The passenger has been charged with several offenses, including battery with injury, criminal recklessness, disorderly conduct and disrupting the operation of an aircraft. She was taken to the Marion County Jail for processing.

The flight continued onto Chicago after a delay of about 90 minutes.

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