A passenger suspected of attempting to open an emergency exit and attacking a crew member on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston has been arrested and charged, the US Department of Justice announced on Monday.
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Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was arrested on his arrival at Boston airport on Sunday evening and presented to a judge in this city on the east coast of the United States on Monday, according to a press release from the federal prosecutor of the State of Boston. Massachusetts.
According to this document, approximately 45 minutes before the arrival of the United Airlines flight, an alarm signaled to the crew that a side door had been disarmed.
Upon inspection, an officer found that the handle was no longer in a secure position.
A colleague of his then reported seeing Mr. Torres near the door.
After being briefly interrogated, the suspect lunged at a crew member “with a broken metal spoon” and punched him three times in the neck, before being pinned down by other passengers and employees of the company, still reports the prosecutor.
In a press release, United Airlines said that “no serious injuries have been reported”.
“We have no tolerance for this type of violence on board our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United while the investigation continues,” the company said.
Charged with having “disturbed the crew with a dangerous weapon”, Francisco Torres faces life imprisonment and a fine of 250,000 dollars.