United Airlines Boeing 787-9 takes off from Los Angeles international Airport on July 30, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images) LOS ANGELES - A Massachusetts man has been arrested and charged for allegedly trying to stab a United Airlines flight attendant in the neck and attempting to open an emergency exit door midflight, according to the U.S District Attorney's Office.
The alleged incident happened Sunday on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston, officials said.The suspect, 33-year-old Francisco Severo Torres of Leominster, Mass., allegedly tampered with the door, moving the door's locking handle from fully locked to the "disarmed" position, officials said.
He was confronted by a flight attendant, who informed the captain that they believed Torres was a threat to the aircraft and that the plane needed to be landed as soon as possible.
Charging documents revealed Torres allegedly got out of his seat and threw himself in the direction of one of the fight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant on the neck three times, authorities said.