On a long British Airways flight last summer, Hilton pitched a fit, and during most of the flight screamed obscenities at flight attendants, paced up and down the aisles, called fellow passengers “peasants,” made several children cry, banged against the bulkhead, and allegedly smoked weed in one of the plane’s bathrooms.
Hilton is the younger brother of socialite Paris Hilton and the great-grandson and namesake of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton.
His behavior was so out of control that when he fell asleep, the plane’s captain instructed a flight attendant to handcuff Hilton to his seat. One of the flight attendants later told investigators that they thought Hilton was on drugs because he was mumbling to himself when he first boarded.
Another flight attendant told police that at one point Hilton screamed that his father would take care of everything, saying, “My father will pay this out, he has done it before.” Several passengers said they smelled weed coming from the bathroom when Hilton was inside. Hilton’s lawyer later said that Hilton had taken a sleeping pill before getting on the plane and that may have been a factor in his erratic behavior.
While the incident happened last summer, details are just coming out because Hilton appeared in court Tuesday to answer the charges of assaulting the flight crew and interfering with in-flight operations on an international flight. Because it is an international flight, the FBI is involved.
According to a 17-page FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in California, Hilton regaled his fellow passengers with quite a show. Among other things, he dropped the “f” bomb at least 25 times, complained that passengers were giving him “the stink eye," threw a punch that narrowly missed a flight attendant, and threatened to kill several flight attendants.
Hilton didn’t enter a plea and was released on a $100,000 bail. The judge ordered him to turn-in his passport and remain in California to seek mental health treatment. Hilton is scheduled to appear for arraignment on March 5. If convicted of the charges, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
Right after his court appearance on Tuesday morning, Hilton checked into a 30-day inpatient drug and alcohol treatment program in California.
This isn’t his first run-in with the law. Last August, just weeks after that outburst on the plane, Hilton was speeding in southern California and hit another car. Police later determined that drugs and alcohol were not a factor.
