Man attacks flight attendant on L.A.- Boston Flight

OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 5:36 PM PT – Monday, March 6, 2023

Federal authorities have charged a suspect with assaulting a pilot and trying to open the plane’s emergency exit doors during weekend flights to Boston.

Francisco Severo Torres 33 was travelling on United Airlines from Los Angeles to when an attendant noticed that Severo Torres had tried to open the emergency door.

According to the federal prosecutor, crewmembers were informed that there was a problem shortly before they landed at Boston Logan International Airport. “starboard side door” had been disarmed. The handle was locked by an unidentified attendant who then alerted the other crew members. Federal officials say that Torres’s presence near the door was noticed by one of his employees and believed he may have tried to tamper with the lock.

“A flight attendant then confronted Torres about tampering with the door, to which he allegedly responded by asking if there were cameras showing that he had done so,” The prosecutor’s office stated.

Torres was deemed a threat to the flight and the captain instructed Torres to take off as quickly as possible. Torres entered the aircraft along with two attendants.

“Torres then allegedly thrust 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 prosecutor’s office stated.

United Airlines representatives confirmed there had been no injury.

Torres is charged with one count each of interference and attempted interfering with flight crew personnel and their attendants with a deadly weapon.

Torres is due to appear at federal court on Thursday.