Two arrested over Chicago airport fight as video goes viral

It remains unclear what triggered the violence seen in a clip shared across social media

A man and a woman have both been arrested after a mass brawl broke out at Chicago O’Hare Airport on Monday evening.

Shocking footage on social media shows roughly a dozen people involved in the commotion beside the baggage carousels in Terminal 3. Several women are grappling on the floor, violently kicking out and pulling each other’s’ hair, while in the background several men are seen tackling each other into the carousels and throwing punches and kicks.

Onlookers can be heard pleading with the participants to stop, as well as calling for security to break up the numerous fights.

Police confirmed that shortly after the fighting, a woman and a man were arrested. Tembra Hicks, 20, of Carol Stream, Illinois, and Christopher Hampton, 18, from Maywood, Illinois, were charged with one misdemeanour count of battery.

A Chicago Police statement said that the fight had started while passengers were disembarking the aircraft, when a verbal dispute “escalated in the lower level of terminal 3 when a 24-year-old female victim was punched by two offenders. 

“The offenders were placed into custody and charged accordingly”.

It remains unclear what exactly triggered the violence, and neither the police nor O’Hare have confirmed what airline or flight the people had travelled on.

A statement from O’Hare International Airport given to the Daily Mail said: “Safety and security are always the top priorities of the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA).

“We work closely with all of our federal partners present at O’Hare and Midway International Airports and the Chicago Police Department to ensure that everyone is safe when they are in our facilities.

“The CDA also ensures that its airline partners have clear lines of communication to public safety resources for occurrences within their leased areas”.

The Independent has contacted O’Hare International Airport for further comment.

Earlier this month, a woman who claimed she was pregnant was arrested after allegedly attacking a Spirit Airlines employee when she was unable to board her flight.