MEAWW.COM / NEWS / CRIME & JUSTICE

Who is Ariel Pennington? Rapper attacked Delta Air attendant, federal air marshal

After three hours aboard a Washington DC to Los Angeles flight, Pennington turned unruly and an emergency landing had to be made at Oklahoma

A Los Angeles-bound Delta Air Lines flight from Washington DC was delayed two hours after an onboard passenger turned "unruly". Three hours into the flight, a male passenger who was identified as Ariel Pennington, got drunk and attacked a flight attendant and a Federal Air Marshal. An investigation into this matter is underway and federal charges could be brought against Pennington who made bond after spending five hours in jail. 

Speaking of shocking incidents aboard Delta Air flights, last month a woman and her hairless cat made headlines for their mid-flight behavior. The woman refused to put her cat down in a carrier meant for pets and was seen breastfeeding it. As bizarre as it sounds is one of the many shocking things to happen aboard Delta flights. In October, a disruptive passenger was placed right at the back of the plane after she started making her own in-flight announcement with her own microphone and amplifier. The woman was attempting to lecture her co-passengers on "the reason the pandemic started" and the flight crew rushed to ask her to go back to her seat. She kept pushing back to the point where crew told her they'd have to restrain her if she wouldn't follow instructions. “I don’t need to be taken anywhere. I don’t need to be cuffed. I’m completely harmless,” she said into her microphone. “Although, I think [the passengers] are enjoying this, because like I said, I’m not terrible to look at."

READ MORE 

Who is Maxwell Berry? Ohio man groped female staff on Frontier Airlines flight, arrested

Maxwell Berry names Twitter handle 'F**k Max Berry' to mock critics, boasts about wealth online

Who is Ariel Pennington?

Ariel Pennington goes by his stage name Azar3RRDeye (pronounced Azar third eye). He is a rapper by profession and he started uploading his music to YouTube two years ago. In this duration, his page has garnered a total of 1,549 views. Pennington also has a TikTok account, an Instagram page, a Twitter handle, Facebook, his music is available on Apple Music and Spotify; and is available for purchase on Amazon. In August this year, Pennington started a GoFundMe with an aim to raise $10,000 out of which he managed to receive $235 in donations to help further his musical career. 

Pennington said he has battled homelessness and starvation in life but his dream to make it big in the music industry didn't fade. At a later point in the description, Pennington said he was not in touch with "celebs" who wanted to work with him but he needed to market his work in the best way for which he was seeking donations. "They have asked me to “complete my package “ and this is what they will present to major record labels and Exclusive artists. We all know nothing is free dealing with mainstream artists. I have put up half already on my own, and with your help I create the opportunity of a lifetime," he wrote. 

Coming back to the incident he was arrested for, reports say it is unclear what led to Pennington's outburst. The air marshal and flight attendant didn't require hospitalization as their injuries were not serious. However, the flight had to be diverted to Oklahoma city where Pennington was arrested and put in handcuffs upon landing. The flight then proceeded to LA, landing two hours past the expected time. "At 7:14 pm last night, the Oklahoma City Police Department was notified that a Delta Airlines flight was being diverted to Oklahoma City due to a flight attendant being assaulted by an unruly passenger. When the plane landed, officers boarded the aircraft and took Ariel Pennington (DOB 7/17/1986) into custody.

"Mr. Pennington was booked into the Oklahoma County Detention Center on complaints of disorderly conduct and public drunkenness. That is all of the information that is available at this time," read Oklahoma Police Department's latest update. Delta Air issued a statement as well applauding their staff and apologizing to the passengers. "Delta applauds the quick action and professionalism of the crew and Federal Air Marshals on Delta flight 324 from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles, which diverted to Oklahoma City after a customer became unruly and was removed from the flight by local law enforcement. We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience," Delta Airlines said in a statement.