A California woman was arrested on after allegedly abusing her 2-year-old child during a flight from Mexico to Seattle. The incident occurred on Delta Air Lines flight 1922 on May 1, and 33-year-old Breanna Mistler, of Sacramento, was detained upon landing at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Western District of Washington.
Witnesses on the flight reported that Mistler kicked her child, who was sitting in the window seat, after being woken up by the toddler. Bystanders also claim she shook the child "like a ragdoll." When confronted by a passenger, the woman allegedly told them to "mind you f***ing business," a criminal complaint obtained by The Sacramento Bee reads.
Upon landing, a member of the Civil Aviation Security Program (CASP) and the Seattle Police Department were called to the scene. The woman was then detained by Customs and Border Protection. The CASP member noticed bruises on the child's eye, cheek, shoulder, and forearm. When questioned about the bruises, the woman claimed they were caused by a dog a week prior.
The child has since been removed from the mother's custody and placed with a relative by Child Protective Services.
Mistler was taken into custody on Wednesday (May 8), reporters said. The mother, who was previously arrested in 2018 for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, is now facing charges of assault in a special aircraft jurisdiction.
"Even by the horrific standards of child abuse cases, this is shocking,” U.S. prosecutors wrote in a court filing. "It is also the second time in six months that Mistler is charged with endangering her child."
Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 16.