Airport brawl erupts after man slaps woman for refusing to give up seat

Article content

Shocking video shows the moment a man slapped a woman across the face for refusing to get up from her seat, prompting bystanders to rush him.

The disgusting scene, which took place at Bogota’s El Dorado International Airport on Sunday and was widely shared on social media, began when Hector Santacruz approached Claudia Segura and demanded she give up her seat, the Daily Mail reported.

Segura sat in the seat next to Santacruz’s wife, Karen de Santacruz, while he stepped away, and he was incensed when she refused to let him sit there.

“Get up or I’ll get you up,” Santacruz said, according to local outlet El Tiempo, but Segura refused.

He then turned to somebody and told them to make sure they were filming the altercation, the outlet reported — before first smacking Segura’s phone from her hand, then rearing back and slapping her across the face.

“He hits me on the hand, knocks off my phone, and hits me hard in the face and head. The magnitude of the impact knocked my earring off,” she told El Tiempo.

Witnesses were shocked, with several people jumping to the woman’s defence, while others shouted at Santacruz, who tried to shove them away as his wife tried to get everyone to calm down.

Another video showed Segura lying on the ground while airport workers tended to her.

She was later taken to urgent care in the town of Engativa for treatment.

“I am affected and very afraid,” Segura said after the incident.

She explained to the outlet that she saw the empty chair and sat down.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video

Santacruz’s wife told her the seat was taken, but Segura was finishing a work call and remained seated before she was approached by the eventual slapper.

Security arrived and Santacruz handcuffed and removed as onlookers cheered.

It is unclear if he will face any charges.

Santacruz’s wife released a video apology after her design business was bombarded with criticism, according to the Mail.

“The person shown physically assaulting a woman is my husband. And you don’t know how much it hurts me to say this out loud,” de Santacruz said in the video.

“And it really hurts me as a woman, as a mother … because all of this goes against what we want, what we’ve been working on for so many years.”

She added: “No, I don’t condone it, I don’t approve of it, and I won’t remain silent. I reject it from the bottom of my heart because I believe in dignity, in boundaries, and in respect.”