Passenger assaults two flight attendants and forces an Alaska Airlines plane to have fun
The 61-year-old woman was arrested and faces charges of misdemeanor assault. Alaska Airlines reported that the woman is prohibited from flying with the company again
An Alaska Airlines flight to Dallas had to make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho, after a passenger identified as Tracy Barkhimer physically assaulted two flight attendants. The 61-year-old woman was arrested and faces misdemeanor assault charges.
The incident occurred early Tuesday morning on Alaska Airlines Flight 1057, which departed from Portland, Oregon, en route to Dallas, Texas. According to the airline, the plane had to divert to Boise, Idaho, after a passenger became “erratic and violent,” assaulting two crew members.
According to the Boise Police Department, the woman, identified as Tracy Barkhimer, “ran over two employees who were trying to calm her down.” Flight attendants, with the help of other passengers, managed to restrain her until landing.
Arrest and Sanctions
Once on the ground, Alaska Airlines employees filed a citizen's arrest and Barkhimer was detained without resistance and taken to the Ada County Jail.
The passenger faces two counts of misdemeanor assault and posted a $600 bond to be released. Her court hearing is scheduled for early November, according to county court records.
Alaska Airlines reported that the woman is prohibited from flying with the company again. "Safety is our number one priority and we do not tolerate any type of violence against our employees," the airline said in a statement.
The case adds to other recent episodes of violence against airline crews in the United States. In May, a Kansas man was accused of dragging an American Airlines flight attendant down the aisle of a flight from Connecticut to Chicago. And in March, the FBI arrested a Texas passenger for assaulting other travelers and verbally threatening a flight attendant during an American Airlines flight to Washington, DC.

