On Sunday, police in Massachusetts apprehended a man after he assaulted an air stewardess on United Airlines flight with a broken spoon and attempted to open the aircraft door.
The state attorney general’s office said the man, 33-year-old Francisco Torres, stabbed the flight attendant with a spoon after he tried to open the emergency exit while Flight 2609 was en route from Los Angeles to Boston.
The flight crew had been informed about 45 minutes before landing that the emergency door had been tampered with and the man had been seen near the door.
A statement from the company, reported by American public radio (NPR), said that the plane’s crew had informed its captain that the passenger posed a threat, and that the plane should be landed as soon as possible.
Video of Francisco Severo Torres who stabbed a flight attendant three times in the neck and attempted to open the plane’s emergency door. Sunday Flight from Los Angeles to Boston. Video from Lisa Olsen. pic.twitter.com/hFkabrDain
— DeL2000 (@DeL2000) March 7, 2023
Soon after, the accused lunged at two hosts who were standing near the side door, and stabbed one of them in the neck with a broken metal spoon three times, according to the prosecutor’s office.
The flight crew and passengers subdued the passenger until the plane landed at Boston International Airport, where he was arrested.
In its statement, the company confirmed that there were no serious injuries, and said: “We do not tolerate any kind of violence on our flights.”
The NPR newspaper said that the accused, who appeared in federal court on Monday, faces up to life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
