Sha’Carri Richardson of the United States claims she was kicked off an American Airlines flight after an argument with a flight attendant.
In a series of Instagram posts and stories, the 22-year-old claims that a male flight attendant asked her to end a phone call, which she did before telling him she didn’t like his tone.
“Following that, while standing in front of me performing the safety protocols, he continued to lean over to look at my phone,” Richardson wrote on Instagram, tagging American Airlines. “He inquired as to whether my phones were in aeroplane mode at this time. He insisted on seeing it. Which I did in his presence.”
An American Airlines spokesperson said in a statement, “We rebooked the customer on a later flight, and a member of our team has reached out to learn more.”
Richardson can be seen filming herself in a video she claims was taken after her interaction with the flight attendant.
“I’m not working today,” she declares. “It’s vacation time.”
It is unknown where Richardson was flying.
Richardson then moves the phone camera to a nearby flight attendant, who is seen backing away.
“I’m recording myself, but you jumped in my video, so I caught you,” Richardson explains.
“You can’t record,” the flight attendant says.
“At this point, you’re harassing me, so I think you should stop, I think you should stop,” Richardson responds.
NBC News has no idea what happened before Richardson began recording.
Other passengers begin to scream, with some pleading with Richardson to stop.
“Did you see him? “Did you see him?” Richardson inquires. “Please tell him to stop. Do not yell at me if you have no idea what’s going on.”
“You may stop recording,” says the same flight attendant.
“No, I’m not stopping recording because I was making a video for myself,” Richardson responds.
Richardson shared another video on Instagram of the moments before she was asked to exit the plane.
“I would have definitely listened to instructions, but the way he was talking to me was very unprofessional, and then his hands were all in my face,” Richardson is heard saying in the video, which has received over 47,000 views.
A fellow passenger is then heard thanking Richardson and blaming her for his missed connection.
“Oh, you’re worried about making a connection while a grown man disrespects you?” she asks.
“I don’t give an s—-,” the passenger says before accusing Richardson of being self-centered.
Someone then approaches Richardson and informs her that she must leave the plane. “The captain wants you off the plane,” the person says when she asks why.
“Does the captain know what happened before removing me?” she asks. “Do they realise this man’s hands are all up in my face, he was very disrespectful, and I felt threatened?”
Richardson requests to speak with the captain and inquires whether the flight attendant with whom she had an argument will also be removed from the plane.
“So he’s not getting fired for acting unprofessionally and putting his hand in my face?” After learning that the flight attendant will not be asked to leave the flight, she responds. “So I’m being kicked off the plane without being told why?”
The track star then inquires about the flight attendant’s name, to which he once again informs her that she is not permitted to record.
“No, but you jumped in my video, which is what started this whole thing, and the video shows you jumped in my video and invaded my privacy, right?” She informs him. “So there’s a chance you’ll lose your job because I have evidence.”
The other passengers are up in arms once more. Richardson begins to gather her belongings in order to exit the plane.
“You see it on social media because you don’t know who I am,” she says as she exits the plane.
Clapping can be heard as Richardson attempts to exit the plane.
A representative for Richardson said in a statement to NBC News that she “has nothing to add at this time.”
Richardson, who rose to prominence after qualifying for the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021, was suspended for one month after testing positive for THC, a chemical found in cannabis, according to the US Anti-Doping Agency.
After failing the drug test, Richardson agreed to an exclusive interview with NBC’s “TODAY” show.
“Right now, I’m just focusing all of my energy on dealing with what I need to deal with in order to heal myself,” Richardson explained at the time.
During the interview, Richardson stated that she turned to marijuana to cope after learning that her biological mother had died.
“I want to be accountable for my actions,” she added. “I’m not looking for an explanation.”
“I apologise to my fans, my family, and my sponsors, as well as to the haters,” she said. “As disappointed as I am, I know that when I step onto that track, I am representing a community that has shown me great support and love.”
