Police drag woman off plane by her arms

It's not hard to see why this video, shot on a mobile phone, quickly went viral.

The footage shows a woman being dragged of a plane by police in Detroit, USA.

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The incident happened on a Delta flight, minutes before take-off en route to San Diego.

So, what happened? The woman apparently charged past the Delta agent at the gate because she wanted to board the plane before anyone else.

The reason for this is that she was anxious to store her bag in the overhead locker.

Flight attendants on board the plane demanded that she leave but she refused to budge. This is when the police were called and the bizarre scene unfolded.

It has been pointed out that once you board an airplane in the US you are governed by federal laws.

This essentially means if you don't obey a flight attendant you are committing a federal crime.

Throughout the footage you can hear a flight attendant on the PA going through his spiel as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening on the flight.

The passenger was dead weight as the police stopped every so often to catch their breath as they pulled her down the aisle.

Delta said in a statement: "The woman would not comply with boarding and baggage check procedures." No charges were filed.