In this article, you will get detail regarding Man tried to open jet’s door, attacked crew on Boston flight
BOSTON — A Massachusetts man tried to open an emergency door on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston, then tried to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon, federal prosecutors said Monday.
Francisco Severo Torres, 33, of Leominster, was subdued with the help of passengers and arrested Sunday at Boston Logan International Airport when United Airlines Flight 2609 landed, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston.
He was charged with obstructing and attempting to obstruct flight crew members and companions by using a dangerous weapon, the statement added.
The man was taken into custody at an initial appearance in federal court on Monday and is awaiting a hearing scheduled for Thursday. An email was left with his federal public defender seeking comment.
The plane was about 45 minutes from arriving in Boston when the crew received an alarm that the plane’s side doors were disarmed, prosecutors said.
The flight attendant noticed that the door lock handle was moved from the fully locked position about a quarter of the way to the unlocked position and that the lever to activate the emergency slide was moved to the deactivated position, authorities said. The crew secured the door and slide.
Airplane doors cannot be opened once in flight due to cabin pressure.
Another flight attendant noticed Torres seen near the door and believed he was tampering with it, authorities said. The crew told the captain that he was a threat and that the plane should land as soon as possible.
At that point, prosecutors claim, Torres got up from his seat, approached two flight attendants who were standing in the aisle and used a spoon to make a stabbing motion, hitting the flight attendant three times in the neck.
Passengers tackled Torres, who was restrained with the help of the crew.
According to the charging document, Torres told investigators he went into the plane’s bathroom and broke a spoon in half to make a weapon.
When he got out of the bathroom, Torres said he went into the kitchen, disarmed the door and tried unsuccessfully to open it with the idea of jumping out of the plane, according to the document.
Investigators said Torres confessed knowing that many people would die if he opened the door.
Torres also said he was then confronted by flight attendants and, in an attempt to defend himself, stabbed one of them three or four times in the neck, according to investigators. They added that Torres said he believed the flight attendant was trying to kill him, so he tried to kill the flight attendant first.
Authorities did not say where Torres got the spoon, but TSA rules allow passengers to bring metal utensils on planes except knives.
United Airlines said no one was injured.
“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was detained after becoming a security concern on United Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston,” the company said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and was met by the police.”
The airline said it has a zero-tolerance policy for violence and that Torres will be banned from flying United pending an investigation.
One passenger told investigators that Torres asked where the door handle was on the security card during a flight attendant safety briefing before takeoff, prosecutors said.
If convicted, he could face life in prison.
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