Man arrested after attacking flight attendant with makeshift knife

A man has been arrested for allegedly attacking a flight attendant in the neck with a metal spoon on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston on Monday after trying to open an emergency exit.

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, faces a charge of attempting to interfere with crew and flight attendants using a dangerous weapon. Torres was arrested at Boston Logan International Airport and will remain in custody pending a hearing scheduled for Thursday.

During a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, the crew saw an alarm that a door on the plane had been opened, and upon inspection, a flight attendant saw that the door handle had been pushed out of position all the way. stopped, according to the Department of Justice.

A flight attendant went to talk to Torres and asked if there were cameras showing that he had tampered with the door.

“According to court documents, the flight attendant notified the captain that she believed Torres posed a threat to the aircraft and that the captain needed to land as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said.

Soon after, Torres allegedly got out of his seat and attacked one of the flight attendants, “in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant in the neck area three times,” the department said.

Torres was approached by other passengers and immediately taken into custody.

According to the criminal complaint, Torres told investigators that he broke a spoon in half to use as a weapon. He also told police that he tried to open the emergency door and “had the idea” to jump out of the plane, according to the complaint.

Torres told investigators he was trying to defend himself and tried to stab the flight attendant because he believed they were trying to kill him, the complaint states.

The flight attendant felt that the object Torres was holding in her hand “hit him in the collar of his shirt and tie three times,” according to the complaint. United Airlines says it banned Torres from flying on future flights after this incident.

“Thanks to quick action by our crew and customers, a customer has been contained after becoming a safety concern on United Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston,” United said in a statement.

“We have zero tolerance for violence of any kind on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying United pending an investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation,” the statement reads.