Man Opens Emergency Door and Stabs Flight Attendant Midair
Chaos erupted on a United Airlines flight when a man allegedly stabbed a flight attendant after attempting to open an emergency exit in mid-air.
Chaos erupted on a United Airlines flight when a man allegedly stabbed a flight attendant after attempting to open an emergency exit in mid-air. Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was onboard a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. About 45 minutes prior to landing in Boston, Torres allegedly attempted to open the airplane’s emergency escape door. An alarm in the cockpit alerted flight attendants and they discovered the locking handle had been tampered with. One staff member said they’d witnessed Torres touch the door. When confronted by a flight attendant about the escape door, Torres asked if there were any security cameras which proved that he had tampered with the lock mechanism. The flight attendant then notified the pilot. Soon after, Torres allegedly got out of his seat, mouthing something, and rushed towards one of the flight attendants who was standing in the aisle, in a stabbing motion. He hit the flight attendant thrice on the neck area with a broken metal spoon. Passengers and other flight crew members tackled and restrained Torres. He was taken into immediate custody upon landing. The flight attendant felt the object Torres was holding in his hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie three times.
Torres told investigators he broke a spoon in half in the bathroom on the airplane to use as a weapon. He also said that he tried to open the emergency door and had gotten the idea to jump out of the plane and he was trying to defend himself and tried to stab the flight attendant because he believed they were trying to kill him.
Torres's charges can carry up to life in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. United Airlines said, “We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United.” With this case, unruly passengers continue to be an issue on flights around the world.
