A woman identified as Samantha Palma was taken into custody and placed on a mental health hold after stripping naked and attacking multiple people at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on March 14, according to police and eyewitness reports. The incident occurred in Terminal D during a busy spring break travel period, and graphic footage circulating on social media shows Palma unclothed, yelling, and running through the terminal.
Authorities said Palma, who was traveling with her 8-year-old daughter, was suffering from a "manic episode" at the time of the incident. Police reports obtained by TMZ state she stabbed at least two people using a pencil and bit a restaurant manager who attempted to intervene. The manager sustained puncture wounds to his face and head, and police noted visible bruising on his right forearm from the bite.
Officers found Palma behind an emergency exit door at Gate D1 with blood on and around her. According to the report, medics confirmed the blood belonged to someone else. An eyewitness told police she had seen Palma stab another individual with a pencil prior to officers' arrival.
During the confrontation with police, Palma made a series of incoherent and delusional statements. Officers noted that she referred to herself as "Venus," claimed she was "going to heaven," and said she "came from hell." She also identified herself as various Disney princesses including Ariel and Pocahontas, according to the official incident report.
#BREAKING
Video captures a female United pilot during her pre-flight warm-up at the Dallas Airport (DFW).
How much do you want to bet she lands the plane upside down? https://t.co/Rlx9DbwAMJ — Tim (@Dragonboy155) March 25, 2025
She "wanted to be with the flowers," officers wrote in their report, citing her own words during the arrest. She also told police that she "manifested" the car that brought her and her daughter to the airport.
Palma admitted to officers that she had not taken her prescribed medication, though the report redacted the name of the medication. When asked about her intent, she reportedly told police she didn't want to harm anyone, but added she was "trying to make herself better and sometimes that hurts."
Authorities said she would be charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in addition to being placed under psychiatric evaluation.
The broader situation at Terminal D included multiple disturbances, according to reports from travel site View from the Wing and video clips posted to social media platform X. The footage shows Palma spraying water on a security guard, tossing a beverage, and damaging a boarding door at Gate D4 before eventually being restrained. The X post, uploaded at 05:27 UTC on March 26, depicts Palma yelling as she moves rapidly through the terminal while security personnel-both male and female-struggle to stop her.
Airport security's failure to subdue her quickly was visible in the footage, prompting concern about safety protocols at one of the busiest travel hubs in the United States. The footage emerged amid a broader debate over public safety and mental health response infrastructure in transit hubs.
