Indiana man arrested for hitting Delta flight attendant on Paris flight, causing diversion

Passengers on Delta Airlines' Flight 500 from Indianapolis to Paris got an unexpected visit to Detroit on Thursday after an "unruly passenger" caused the plane to divert.

The disturbance happened just after 6 p.m. EDT, according to a federal criminal complaint. About 40 minutes after boarding the flight to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport, authorities say Ian Robert James Morin began "yelling and acting erratically."

According to the complaint, the flight crew tried to calm Morin but he continued to shout and refuse to comply with their demands.

Morin then allegedly hit a flight attendant in the throat with an open hand. The complaint said he tried to strike the attendant a second time, then threw up on the aircraft.

Fair Oaks videos: Ethical questions coming from all directions

Lisa Gass, a spokeswoman for Michigan's Wayne County Airport Authority, confirmed the incident to USA TODAY via email, writing, “On Thursday evening, a Delta flight from Indianapolis to Paris was diverted to Detroit Metropolitan Airport due to a disruptive passenger."

She added, "Security personnel on board were able to restrain the man until the aircraft landed. The man was taken into custody. The investigation was turned over to the FBI.”

Morin, who resides in the northern Indianapolis suburb of Carmel, appeared in Detroit federal court on Friday afternoon and was released on bond, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Detroit told The Indianapolis Star.

Following the diversion and Morin's removal and arrest, Delta put the flight's other passengers up in hotels for the night and resumed the eight-hour flight to Paris Friday morning, Delta told The Indianapolis Star. The flight was scheduled to land at Charles de Gaulle about 14 hours later than originally planned.

The airline apologized to the passengers for the delay and inconvenience.

Support our journalism

Become an IndyStar subscriber today to support stories like this one. Get unlimited digital access here!

Contributing: Adrienne Jordan, USA TODAY

Andrew Clark is Facebook editor for IndyStar. Call him at 317-444-6484 or email him at andrew.clark@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @Clarky_Tweets.

Contact IndyStar reporter Crystal Hill at 317-444-6094 or cnhill@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter: @crysnhill.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana man arrested for hitting Delta flight attendant on Paris flight, causing diversion