Actress Faces Federal Charges After Allegedly Slapping Fellow Passenger on Delta Flight

By Michael Hein

A woman was arrested for attacking another passenger on a Delta Airlines flight from Tampa, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia last week, and it turns out she was a well-known actress. Patricia Cornwall used to go by the stage name Patty Breton, under which she appeared in a few episodes of Baywatch, among other things. A video of her mid-flight altercation has now gone viral.

Cornwall, now 51 years old, is a former Playboy model and actress. She can be seen on video slapping a male passenger on a Delta flight on Thursday, Dec. 23, and then spitting at him. She was arrested on Monday, at which point the details of the case were described in an affidavit obtained by The New York Post. It states that Cornwall was on her way back from the restroom when she asked a flight attendant for help finding her seat, but the attendant asked her to simply find any vacant seat until they were finished handing out beverages. Cornwall reportedly responded: "What am I, Rosa Parks?"

This comment started her interactions with the man who she can be seen slapping in the now-viral video. The man reportedly told Cornwall that her remark was out of line because she "isn't black... this isn't Alabama, and this isn't a bus." Things escalated between the two strangers until the man shouted: "Sit down, Karen!"

"Sit down, p—!" Cornwall allegedly responded. The two then screamed at each other to "mask up," though neither was wearing a face mask or had one on hand in the video. After some more harsh words, the video shows Cornwall slapping the man, who immediately screams: "You're going to jail!"

When the plane landed, Cornwall was reportedly arrested by local police and then handed over to FBI custody. She posted a $20,000 bond at her arraignment and was allowed by a judge to fly home to Los Angeles, California.

Back in the late 1980s and 1990s, Cornwall used the stage name Patty Breton for work as a model and actress. She was on one 1996 episode of Married... With Children and one episode of Baywatch in the same year. According to the Post, she made other appearances on both shows as well. She is also credited for appearances in two Playboy "video documentaries" in 1997.

Cornwall has been working in real estate in California since 2013 and is apparently looking for a change. She has reportedly made inquiries on public forums looking for a place to live in Florida, hoping to relocate there permanently. It is not clear if her legal troubles have disrupted those plans. Cornwall did not respond to other outlets' requests for comment on this case.

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