Patty Breton is the stage name used by Patricia Cornwall, a former Los Angeles Raiders cheerleader and 1990s bit-part actress who, at 51, was charged with federal assault after striking and spitting on an 80-year-old man during a Delta Air Lines flight on December 23, 2021. The video of the confrontation was viewed millions of times online and turned her into one of the most recognized faces of the pandemic-era surge in unruly passenger behavior.1The Independent. Delta Karen Assault Baywatch Actress
What Happened on the Delta Flight
Cornwall was aboard Delta Flight 2790 from Tampa to Atlanta when a flight attendant asked her to take an open seat while beverage service blocked the aisle. According to the federal criminal complaint, she responded, “What am I, Rosa Parks?”2CNN. Delta Passenger Allegedly Punches Fellow Passenger
An 80-year-old passenger identified in court documents by the initials R.S.M. told her the comment was inappropriate, saying she “isn’t black… this isn’t Alabama and this isn’t a bus,” and told her to “sit down, Karen.” The exchange escalated into a shouting match that also involved mask compliance. Cornwall then allegedly struck him in the head with a closed fist and spit on his face and head. Video posted online showed her slapping him in the face, after which he told her, “Now you’re going to jail. That’s assault.”3NBC News. Video Shows Mask Fight Between Passengers on Delta Flight
The Atlanta Police Department reported injuries to passengers and Delta employees. Officers met the flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and took her into custody before turning her over to FBI agents.4Northwest Florida Daily News. Woman Arrested for Delta Disturbance Had DUI Charge Pending
The Federal Charge
Cornwall was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia with “assault by striking, beating, or wounding R.S.M. in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States,” a Class A misdemeanor carrying a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.2CNN. Delta Passenger Allegedly Punches Fellow Passenger
She did not enter a plea at her initial appearance on December 27, 2021. Bond was set at $20,000, and her release conditions required her to surrender her passport, abstain from alcohol and drugs, and possess no weapons.3NBC News. Video Shows Mask Fight Between Passengers on Delta Flight The court allowed her to fly home to Los Angeles on a non-Delta carrier but barred her from any other interstate commercial carrier while on bail.5Law and Crime. Former Playboy Model and Baywatch Actress Charged With Punching, Spitting on 80-Year-Old Man on Delta Flight
Prior Arrests and Restraining Orders
The Delta case was not her first. In December 2020, Cornwall was arrested for drunk driving in Los Angeles. She pleaded no contest to having a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher and was sentenced to 36 months of summary probation, 100 hours of community service, and a three-month alcohol and drug education program.6Daily Mail. Baywatch Star Arrested for DUI Month Before Assaulting Elderly Man on Flight
Weeks before the Delta flight, on November 10, 2021, she was arrested in Walton County, Florida, after crashing her vehicle into a tree in the early morning. A Florida Highway Patrol officer reported a strong odor of alcohol, slurred speech, and a flushed face. She refused a breathalyzer and was charged with driving under the influence, careless driving, and failure to present a driver’s license. She pleaded not guilty on December 2, 2021.5Law and Crime. Former Playboy Model and Baywatch Actress Charged With Punching, Spitting on 80-Year-Old Man on Delta Flight
Family court filings surfaced after her arrest. In July 2020, her stepfather, Robert Spoeri, sought a restraining order in Los Angeles, alleging she “kicked me, punched me, threatened to kill me, jumped on me, pulled my hair very hard, pounded my head into the floor.” He wrote that she had claimed to be the mother of her two teenage half-siblings and that he feared she would kidnap them during what he described as “delusional episodes.” He said she had been placed on psychiatric holds at least twice following breakdowns at the family’s Pacific Palisades home.7New York Post. Patricia Cornwall Once Allegedly Threatened to Kill Parents A temporary restraining order was granted on July 31, 2020, but the case was dismissed the following month after all parties failed to appear.
Separately, in late 2020, her sister-in-law Monica Cummings sought a domestic violence protection order in Walton County, Florida, alleging threatening voice messages and what she described as “bipolar tendencies and paranoia.” A judge granted the order in January 2021 in favor of Cummings and her children.8Fox News. Ex-Playboy Actress Charged in Delta Flight Meltdown Had Troubled Past
The Patty Breton Entertainment Career
The stage name itself belongs to a short career in the 1990s. As Patty Breton, Cornwall was a member of the Raiderettes, the cheerleading squad for the Los Angeles Raiders, and appeared with the squad on a Vicki Lawrence talk show in 1993.9NBC News. Delta Passenger Accused of Assault and Invoking Rosa Parks Appeared on Baywatch
She had episode roles on Baywatch and Married… with Children in the mid-1990s and was featured in a 1997 Playboy production titled Cheerleaders.1The Independent. Delta Karen Assault Baywatch Actress By the time of the Delta arrest she was working as a real estate agent, and news outlets routinely identified her in headlines as a “former Baywatch actress” and “ex-NFL cheerleader.”10New York Post. Patricia Cornwall Who Slapped Delta Passenger Identified as Former NFL Cheerleader