One individual was detained after allegedly attempting to open the emergency exit and then assaulting a flight attendant in the neck during a flight from Los Angeles to Boston, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday.
The passenger, who appeared before a Massachusetts district court on Monday, now faces charges of interfering with the aircraft’s safety and assaulting crew members with the aggravating factor of using a dangerous weapon.
The incident occurred on Sunday when a man from Massachusetts associated with Francisco Torres, age 33, activated one of the emergency exit door handles and released the lever that opened the emergency hatch roughly 45 minutes before landing at Logan International Airport in Boston.
Following the alarm, a flight attendant responded to the gate area and helped secure the safety of the crew. A friend later reported that the detained individual had been responsible for moving the weaponry involved in the incident.
Indictment notes indicate the man argued with flight staff aboard the United Airlines service and had initially escaped scrutiny according to his claims that there was no evidence to substantiate accusations against him.
The captain was informed that a potential threat existed, prompting an earlier landing in Boston. In his anger, the passenger attacked one cabin crew member with a broken metal spoon and attempted to strike him in the neck up to three times.
The remainder of the crew cooperated to restrain the attacker, who was stopped soon after the emergency landing in Boston.
A hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday, and Torres could face penalties ranging from life imprisonment to probabilistic outcomes including five years of probation or a fine of up to $250,000.