March 7 (UPI) — A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged with attempting to stab a United Airlines flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon after being confronted with allegations of trying to open the plane’s exit door while in the air.
Francisco Severo Torres, 32, of Leominster, located about 45 miles west of Boston, was arrested Sunday evening on arrival at Boston Logan International Airport.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said in a statement Monday that he has been charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon.
According to court documents, the incident began about 45 minutes prior to the flight landing in Boston with an alarm in the cockpit of the plane being set off indicating that a starboard-side door between the first class and coach sections of the flight had been disarmed.
Inspection of the door showed that its handle had been moved from the locked position and the slide arming lever bad been moved to the disarmed position.
Federal prosecutors said that a flight attendant reported seeing Torres near the door. When confronted with the issue, Torres asked if the plane was fitted with cameras showing he was guilty of the accusation.
Believing Torres posed a threat to the flight, the attendant informed the captain that the aircraft needed to land as soon as possible, the court documents state.
Shortly after his conversation with the flight attendant, Torres is accused of standing up from his seat and thrusting “towards one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant on the neck area three times,” the Justice Department said.
“Passengers then tackled Torres and he was restrained with assistance of flight crew,” it said.
Following the flight, passengers told investigators that Torres had asked them where the door handle was located and that he was seen pacing prior to attacking the flight attendant.
The complaint obtained by USA Today states Torres broke the spoon while in the plane’s bathroom with intent to use it as a weapon and that he attempted to open the plane’s door on exiting the lavatory with intent to jump from the aircraft.
“Torres admitted to knowing that if he opened the door many people would die,” the complaint states.
He also told investigators that he tried to stab one of the flight attendants whom he believed “was trying to kill him, so he was trying to kill the flight attendant first.”
The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA said it was proud of the crew of United Flight 2609 and “relieved” no one was seriously hurt.
“Violence has no place anywhere and certainly not in a closed cabin flying several miles in the air,” AFA President Sara Nelson said in a statement. “This is another example of the urgent need for a national banned disruptive passengers list.”
United Airlines told CBS News that it has a zero-tolerance policy for violence on its flights and that Torres has been panned from flying with the company.
“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was restrained after becoming a security concern,” it said.