Olympic sprinter Shakari Richardson recently posted a series of videos on her Instagram account claiming she was unfairly harassed by American Airlines flight attendants. But the reactions of other passengers showed that not everyone agreed with her complaints. In one of the videos, Richardson accused flight attendants of “harassment” when they asked passengers to turn off their electronic devices before takeoff. She expressed her frustration saying, “I was recording myself but you jumped into my video so I caught you because you jumped into my video. You’re harassing me right now, so I think you should stop. “
In another video, Richardson has a lengthy discussion with the crew, who tell her that the captain asked her to leave the plane. Despite their explanations, Richardson maintained his innocence and felt distressed by the flight attendant’s behavior. Throughout the incident, Richardson’s behavior became disruptive, including swearing at some passengers who were disappointed by her behavior.
Surprisingly, when she finally got off the plane, some passengers actually cheered her departure. Richardson took to social media to explain her side of the story and continued to defend herself, insisting she was right. She filed a potential lawsuit against American Airlines, alleging that not only was she threatened, but an innocent bystander was also targeted by the flight attendant. Richardson highlighted the lack of support from the captain and expressed disappointment at the applause she received as she got off the plane.
In response to the incident, American Airlines released a statement saying, “We have rerouted the passenger to a later flight and a member of our team has been contacted for more information.”
It’s worth noting that Richardson has previously blamed his frustrations on racism. In 2021, she was suspended for testing positive for marijuana, which led to her exclusion from the US Olympic track and field team.
