A man is in federal custody after authorities say he tried to open the emergency exit during a United Airlines flight Sunday, before repeatedly striking a flight attendant in the neck with a makeshift weapon.
The mid air scare unfolded on a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Boston’s Logan Airport and left passengers on the flight rattled.
The man was rambling and yelling threats in his seat before getting up and shouting at other passengers to “shut up.”
“I will kill every man on this plane,” the man screamed during his nonsensical tirade, before at least two flight attendants confronted him, video shared with KTLA showed.
He then made his way down the aisle and eventually attacked the attendant.
Crewmembers and fellow passengers restrained the 33-year-old, identified as Francisco Severo Torres, who was ultimately taken into custody when the flight landed. Officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation said Torres was arrested for allegedly trying to stab the flight attendant with a broken metal spoon 45 minutes prior to landing.
United Airlines released a statement, saying in part:
“We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United pending an investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement.”
This is just the latest mid-flight incident to shake travelers up. Turbulence struck several flights last week, causing serious injury.
A Southwest flight had to be diverted Friday as it attempted to land in North Carolina in poor weather conditions. Passengers on that flight eventually landed in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
“Things were flapping. They were shaking,” Krys Spence, who was traveling with her boyfriend Nicholas Reed, said of the experience on the Southwest flight.
“Two people were vomiting pretty close to us. But everyone was pretty silent. I guess they were just in suspense like ‘this could be it’,” Reed said.
Two days earlier, actor Matthew McConaughey and his wife, Camila, were aboard an international flight from Austin, Texas, to Germany with 170 other passengers when the plane hit turbulence during meal service. The flight was diverted to Washington Dulles International Airport and seven people were taken to the hospital.
In another incident, a passenger on a private jet died when the plane hit severe turbulence over New England. She was identified as 55-year-old Dana Hyde, a prominent lawyer who once served on the 9/11 Commission. Three other passengers and two crew members were also onboard.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating that incident.
As for Torres, he faces multiple federal charges and could face life in prison if convicted, authorities said.
