PICTURED: Republic Airways pilot and his co-worker ex-lover who were BOTH fired after leaked footage showed him punching and spitting at her at Denver Airport
- Leaked surveillance footage shows the shocking moment William Thomas, 36, appears to spit and then punch Marisha Sporer, 29, twice in the violent attack
- The clip was captured on September 14, after the flight landed at Denver Airport
- Thomas and Sporer are said to have recently split up in a row over his phone
- In the footage the male member of the flight crew is seen walking down the jet bridge back towards the aircraft when suddenly he turns sharply and spits
- In response, the woman slaps the man across the face as he walks towards her
- The man then punches her once in the stomach and then to the side of her head
- The incident occurred during a layover and no passengers were on board
- Both of the employees were arrested and later fired by the airline, officials said
The two Republic Airways workers filmed fighting in shocking surveillance footage have been named as a male pilot and his female co-worker who had recently broken off their romantic relationship.
Leaked surveillance footage shows the shocking moment William Thomas, 36, appears to spit and then punch Marisha Sporer, 29, twice in the violent attack.
The pair, who had been dating since last November, are understood to have recently split in an argument over something Sporer saw on Thomas’ cellphone.
The short clip, obtained exclusively by FlyerTalk, was captured on September 14, shortly after a Republic Airways flight landed at Denver Airport as part of a layover.
Scroll down for video
Leaked surveillance footage shows the shocking moment William Thomas, 36, left, appears to spit and then punch Marisha Sporer, 29, right, twice in a violent attack
The former couple were both arrested and charged with assault and disturbing the peace, ABC News reports. They are set to appear in court next week.
According to an affidavit they ‘both agreed to break up so Thomas went onto the plane and sat in the cock-pit and Sporer went to the gate’.
It adds: ‘Sporer became angry and went onto the plane to confront Thomas.
‘Sporer grabbed Thomas by the neck tie and slapped him in the face with an open hand three times. Thomas retaliated by grabbing Sporer and striking her in the ribs with a closed fist.’
In the clip Thomas is seen walking down the jet bridge back towards the aircraft when he turns sharply and appears to spit at Sporer, who was following close behind.
In response, Sporer slaps Thomas across the face as he continues to advance towards her.
It’s unclear what happened immediately after the video. The incident occurred during a layover and no passengers were aboard the plane at the time.
Thomas is seen walking down the jet bridge back towards the aircraft when suddenly he turns sharply on his haunches and appears to spit at Sporer. She slaps him, prompting him to lunge at her
He then lunges for Sporer, causing her to flinch as he punches her once in the stomach, before delivering a second blow to the side of her head
He then lunges for Sporer, causing her to flinch as he punches her once in the stomach, before delivering a second blow to the side of her head.
She clutches the side of her face in pain, before pulling out her cell phone to call for help.
The flight was eventually delayed until the following day.
The security footage was shared with FlyerTalk by an individual investigating the incident who wished to remain anonymous.
In a statement, Republic Airways acknowledged the incident and said both of the parties involved were fired shortly afterwards
In a statement, Republic Airways acknowledged the incident and said both of the parties involved were fired shortly afterwards.
‘We are aware of a situation that occurred last month involving two of our employees,’ a spokesperson said.
‘We investigated this matter and took appropriate action consistent with our belief that such behavior is unacceptable. These individuals are no longer employed at Republic.’
At the time of the violent altercation, Republic Airways had been operating the flight as part of a codeshare with United Airlines.
The incident happened at Denver Airport (pictured) on September 14
Source: Read Full Article