(Trends Wide) –– A Massachusetts man is under arrest for allegedly stabbing a flight attendant in the neck, with a broken metal spoon at least three times, during a flight from Los Angeles to Boston on Monday, after he tried to open the door of an airport exit. emergency, according to the Department of Justice.
Francisco Severo Torres, 33, is facing one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members using a dangerous weapon. Torres was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday and will remain in custody pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday.
During the flight to Boston, the crew detected the alarm that an aircraft door had been disarmed, and upon inspection, a flight attendant saw that the door lock handle had been pulled out of the fully locked position and a lever emergency slider had been disarmed, according to the Justice Department.
A flight attendant who saw Torres near the gate went to talk to him about it, according to the department, who asked if there were cameras showing he had tampered with the gate.
“According to court documents, the flight attendant notified the captain that she believed Torres posed a threat to the aircraft and that the captain needed to land as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said.
Shortly thereafter, Torres allegedly rose from his seat, muttering something, before lunging “at one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, striking her in the neck area three times,” the Justice Department said.
Torres was then shot down by other passengers on the flight and was taken into custody immediately after landing.
United Airlines says Torres was barred from flying with the company in the future after this incident.
“Thanks to the swift action of our crew and customers, a passenger was restrained after becoming a security concern on United flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston,” the airline said in a statement.
United says the flight was able to land safely with no reports of injuries.
“We have zero tolerance for any form of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying United pending investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation,” the statement said.
