A Sun Country Airlines flight attendant has been charged with second-degree assault following a Monday confrontation aboard Flight 193 from Minneapolis to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, an incident that ended with a Washington, D.C.-area coach and her father removed from the plane before it left the gate. Coach Lauren Price and her team, DMV Prime Elite, were flying home from the Junior Olympic Games in Des Moines, Iowa, when the dispute with attendant Jean Riegelman broke out over seating. Price says the confrontation turned into accusations of racially motivated remarks, ending with airport security escorting her and her father off the aircraft while her children remained on board.
Price, who is Black, told CBS News Baltimore that Riegelman made racially motivated comments toward her and her players during boarding. The team had booked 19 seats for the trip home, but only 17 were needed after two travelers didn't make the flight, according to the outlet. Price says she moved into one of the empty seats so her young players could sit together, which prompted Riegelman to ask her to return to her assigned seat.
A Seating Request Turns Into a Shouting Match
According to Price's account reported by CBS News Baltimore, Riegelman told her, "if you people would sit in your right seat, we would be able to push back, because of you 186 people we're delayed." Price's father spoke up during the exchange, and a second flight attendant initially told Price that Riegelman would not be removed from the flight. Riegelman, for her part, told Price she could do whatever she wanted, per the same report.
The confrontation escalated further while passengers were deplaning, when Price's sister attempted to record Riegelman on her phone. Price alleges Riegelman tried to swat the phone from her sister's hand. Airport security then intervened, and Price's children, who were on the flight, became visibly upset as their mother and grandfather were escorted off the plane.
Ejected With One Minute to Leave
Once off the aircraft, security officers gave Price and her father just one minute to exit before facing detention by airport police, according to WUSA9. Price was not allowed back onto the plane and ultimately paid $500 out of pocket to arrange alternative transportation home for herself and her family. Sun Country employees told her they would process a refund for the original flight, though Price says she had not received additional details as of Wednesday afternoon.
A second flight attendant on the flight later apologized for Riegelman's conduct, describing it to Price as unprovoked, unnecessary, and unprofessional, per the same WUSA9 report. That attendant explained that Riegelman had been unexpectedly assigned as the flight's lead attendant that morning after switching roles with another crew member, and attributed her behavior to the added stress. Members of the flag football team also alleged that Riegelman avoided serving them for the rest of the flight.
Second-Degree Assault Charge, September Court Date
Charging documents obtained by WJZ reported that the alleged attempt to swat the phone from Price's sister's hand led to the second-degree assault charge against Riegelman. She is scheduled to appear in court in September, with proceedings set for the District Court of Maryland for Anne Arundel County in Annapolis, which handles criminal dockets originating at BWI. CBS News Baltimore reported that it requested comment from Riegelman, who had not responded as of publication.
Under Maryland's Criminal Law § 3-203, second-degree assault is a misdemeanor covering offensive physical contact or even attempted contact, carrying a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and a $2,500 fine, according to Seddiq Law. Separately, federal law under 49 U.S.C. § 46504 prohibits assaulting, threatening, or intimidating flight crew members, carrying a maximum federal penalty of up to 20 years in prison, per the U.S. Department of Justice.
Complaints to the Airline, the DOT, and the FAA
Price says her team has filed multiple complaints with Sun Country Airlines, and that other passengers have reached out to describe similar negative experiences involving Riegelman. She has also filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. The DOT's Office of Aviation Consumer Protection handles individual civil rights and discrimination complaints against airlines and requires carriers to respond to both the agency and affected passengers within 30 to 60 days, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The case surfaces amid a broader national uptick in cabin conflicts. Federal Aviation Administration data shows that while overall unruly passenger reports have fallen more than 80% from their 2021 pandemic-era peak, reported onboard disruptions rose 47% in early 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. Price says Sun Country only reached out to her after a social media post about the incident drew more than two million views, and that she has not heard back from the airline since.
A Merger in Progress and a Team Built From Scratch
Sun Country said in a statement that it takes reports like this "very seriously" and that it has been in conversation with Price while working to obtain all details surrounding the situation. The airline is investigating the allegations. Its response comes amid a corporate transition: Allegiant Travel Company completed its $1.5 billion acquisition of Sun Country in May, combining the carriers into the nation's eighth-largest airline while keeping both brands operating separately for now, according to Allegiant's newsroom announcement.
Price founded DMV Prime Elite, a Washington, D.C.-area youth flag football organization, to build some of the region's first competitive 8U and 10U girls' teams, according to a GoFundMe page for the program. The team relies on community fundraising to travel to national competitions, including the trip its players were returning from when the confrontation occurred. Whether Riegelman will enter a plea or contest the assault charge remains unknown ahead of her September court appearance.
