Police arrested a United Airlines passenger after he allegedly tried to open the emergency door while the plane was in flight and then attacked one of the flight attendants with a metal spoon.
The incident happened on Monday, March 6, during a flight heading to Boston from Los Angeles.
The passenger, identified as Francisco Severo Torres, 33, allegedly tried to attack a flight attendant with a broken spoon after the attendant confronted him about tampering with the plane’s emergency door. Several other passengers tackled Torres, and the flight crew restrained him.
According to court records, Torres told the police he broke the metal spoon in the bathroom to make a weapon as he believed a flight attendant was after him.
The bizarre incident occurred about 45 minutes before the plane was supposed to land. The crew was alerted that a door between first class and coach had been disarmed.
A flight attendant checked on it and found that someone had moved the door handle from the fully locked position. The emergency slide arming lever has also been tampered with.
Court records indicate that Torres unsuccessfully tried to open the door and then tried again to open the emergency door and jump.
Another flight attendant told his colleagues that he had seen Torres by the door and suspected he had tampered with it.
A flight attendant confronted the man about the allegations, and Torres attacked him with the metal spoon. The flight attendant was not injured.
One of the passengers said the suspect started getting loud after the confrontation, screaming and running toward another passenger filming the incident.
A group of passengers tackled the suspect, pulled the spoon from his hand, and restrained him.
United Airlines released a statement thanking its crew and passengers for their quick action.
Torres was taken into custody and charged with interference and attempted interference with crew members with a dangerous weapon. Torres appeared in court on Monday and is set to return to court on Thursday, March 9.
Flight Attendants Association president Sara Nelson called for a national list of banned disruptive passengers.
