FLT ATTENDANT RPT REGARDING A PAX WHO BECAME PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY ABUSIVE TOWARD ANOTHER PAX ABOARD AN A300 ACFT AT CRUISE. SHE TOOK A KNIFE FROM THE CART AND STARTED TOWARDS THE OTHER PAX. THE RPTR STEPPED BTWN THE TWO WHILE ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT DISARMED THE ABUSIVE PAX. POLICE AND ARPT SECURITY MET THE ACFT.

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PAX SEATED IN ROW A HAD WORDS WITH PAX IN ROW B. PAX IN ROW A BECAME VERBALLY AND PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE TO PAX IN ROW B. PAX IN ROW A HAD BEEN SUBDUED AND WAS STANDING AT SEAT XA. SHE THEN REACHED IN TO INSERT AND WITHDREW A SILVERWARE KNIFE. SHE HELD KNIFE IN HER FIST AND STARTED TOWARDS PAX IN ROW B. I STEPPED BTWN THEM AND TRIED TO DISARM THIS WOMAN (IN ROW A). MALE #3 FLT ATTENDANT THEN CAME TO ASSIST WITH #8 FLT ATTENDANT. WOMAN IN ROW A SEEMED TO CALM DOWN AND THEN SHE PUSHED PAST BOTH FLT ATTENDANTS AND PUSHED ME BACKWARDS OVER SEATS AT ROW A. FLT ATTENDANT #8 WENT TO COCKPIT AND HAD FO COME BACK. THE FO SUBDUED THE PAX AND TOLD HER TO SIT IN ROW D AND NOT TO GET UP OR SPEAK TO ANYONE OR SHE WOULD BE HANDCUFFED. THE PORT AUTH POLICE MET THE FLT AND ARPT SECURITY. I DON'T THINK THERE WAS ANY WAY TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR. MOST PAX ARE NOT THAT VERBALLY OR PHYSICALLY ABUSIVE. I DON'T THINK I DID ANYTHING WRONG IN STEPPING BTWN THE PAX AND TRYING TO GET THE UTENSIL FROM HER. SHE COULD HAVE DONE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE OTHER PAX. MAYBE WE SHOULD ONLY HAVE PLASTIC UTENSILS ON BOARD ACFT INSTEAD OF METAL.