SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – A Dutch passenger was indicted in federal court Wednesday for alleged disruptive and threatening behavior on a Delta Airlines flight to Salt Lake City.
The grand jury in Salt Lake City returned an indictment charging the Netherlands national, living in Arizona, with multiple federal charges, including interference with a flight crew, according to Utah’s prosecutors with the U.S. Department of Justice.
Per court documents, Darnel Silver Collins, 19, of Surprise, Arizona, was a passenger onboard a Delta Airlines flight from Amsterdam who began engaging in unruly and abusive behavior one hour after takeoff. Collins continued to cause problems and had to be consistently monitored for the remaining nine hours of the flight and eventually handcuffed.
Collins is a minor league baseball player and is sponsored by the Kansas City Baseball Corporation, according to the Wednesday night press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Utah. He travels between the U.S. and the Netherlands during the baseball off-season.
“Collins was loud, disruptive, threatening and abusive to other passengers and crew members. Throughout the flight, Collins’ behavior escalated and he eventually had to be restrained.
“As alleged in the complaint, during the flight, Collins began following and touching multiple passengers. At one point, Collins approached a female passenger as she was exiting the restroom. Collins grabbed onto the female passenger’s arm and did not release her until another passenger and flight crew member intervened.”
Multiple passengers were moved from the area around Collins seat to avoid further problems and eventually, Collins was moved to the very back row of the aircraft.
“Collins spit on a passenger striking at least two other people with his saliva and he continued to touch passengers as they walked by,” prosecutors said. “Due to his continued unwanted touching of other passengers, Collins was physically restrained in flexicuffs by the flight crew.”
He was arrested upon arrival at Salt Lake City International Airport. Collins is in the United States on a P1 Visa (National/International athletes and performers). Collins is charged with interference with a flight crew and “assault by striking, beating, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States.”
An FBI Task Force Officer with the Salt Lake City Police Department is investigating the case.
