Man charged for slapping and racially abusing crying boy on plane

A man has been charged with assaulting a child after he allegedly uttered a racial slur and slapped a two-year-old boy on a Delta Air Lines flight.

According to KBOI2.com, Joe Rickey Hundley of Idaho, U.S, reportedly slapped the boy during a Delta flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta when he wouldn't stop crying.

The child's mother, 33-year-old Jessica Bennett, of Minneapolis, told authorities her son was crying as the plane prepared for landing. She said that Hundley was sitting next to her and slapped the boy in the face causing a scratch under his right eye.

Bennett added that Hundley, 60, racially abused her son while demanding her to keep him quiet.

In a statement filed in U.S. District Court, FBI special agent Daron Cheney says Hundley 'told her to shut that ('N word') baby up.'

'Ms Bennett received assistance from several people on the plane, including male passenger Todd Wooten' Cheney said.

Wooten was sat rows in front of Ms Bennett and said he came to help after he heard derogatory language being used behind him, according to court documents.

Bennett said the infant began crying louder after he was slapped.

According to CNN, Delta Air Lines is cooperating with the investigation into the altercation between two passengers, a spokesman for the airline said.

Spokesman Paul Skrbec said: 'We apologise for any inconvenience this caused for the passengers onboard.'

Hundley was not taken into custody and it is unclear when the case will go to court.

The charge of simple assault on someone under the age of 16 carries a prison sentence of one year, court papers said.

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