Massachusetts Man Faces Federal Charges in Mid-Air Attack on Flight Attendant
BOSTON, United States (WHN) – A Massachusetts man faces federal charges after allegedly trying to open an emergency exit door on a cross-country flight and then stabbing a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon, federal prosecutors announced.
Francisco Severo Torres, 33, of Leominster, was arrested Sunday upon arrival at Boston Logan International Airport. The incident occurred aboard United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles.
The attack took place. It happened approximately 45 minutes before the flight was scheduled to land, according to an affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Flight crew in the cockpit received an alarm that a side door on the aircraft was disarmed. A flight attendant who went to inspect the door discovered its locking handle had been moved from the fully locked position and the emergency slide arming lever was disarmed, court documents state.
The same attendant reported seeing Torres near the door and believed he had tampered with the mechanism. After the attendant conferred with the captain, the crew was made aware of the immediate security threat, the affidavit details.
When a flight attendant confronted Torres, he allegedly lunged with a broken metal spoon. Torres struck the attendant in the neck area three times, prosecutors said in a statement.
Passengers immediately intervened. They tackled Torres and, with assistance from the flight crew, restrained him for the remainder of the flight, the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed.
One passenger, Lisa Olsen, told reporters on the ground that other passengers “rushed to get him.” Olsen said the man “got up on one of the flight attendants and just started stabbing him.”
Torres was taken into custody by Massachusetts State Police upon the plane’s arrival at Logan Airport. The injured flight attendant was transported to a local hospital with injuries described as non-life-threatening.
United Airlines issued a statement thanking the crew and customers for their “quick action in a difficult situation.” The airline said it has a “zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights” and is fully cooperating with law enforcement.
Federal prosecutors have charged Torres with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. A conviction on this charge carries a potential sentence of up to life in prison.
The federal complaint alleges that earlier in the flight, Torres was seen pacing in a galley before asking another passenger to see the safety card to check where the door handle was located.
“Thanks to the quick and heroic actions of the flight crew and fellow passengers, a potential disaster was averted,” stated United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins.
Torres made his initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Monday afternoon. He was ordered to be held pending a detention hearing.
The affidavit notes that Torres told investigators he believed the flight attendant was trying to kill him, so he attempted to kill the attendant first.
A detention hearing for Torres is scheduled for later this week.
