Man Attempts To Stab United Airlines Flight Attendant, Open Emergency Door Mid-Air

A Massachusetts man has been arrested for attempting to stab a flight attendant in the neck and then trying to open the aircraft's emergency door while the flight was in the air.

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was arrested at Boston Logan international airport after United Airlines flight 2609 landed, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts announced Monday. He was charged with one count of interference with flight crew members and attendants and using a dangerous weapon.

The incident took place on a United Airlines flight flying from Los Angeles to Boston Sunday, less than an hour before the aircraft's scheduled landing at Boston airport, the New York Post reported.

Shortly before the flight was set to land, the flight crew received an alarm notification that a starboard side door, located between the first class and coach sections of the aircraft, was disarmed.

A flight attendant found during an inspection that the door's locking handle was moved out of the fully locked position, court documents revealed. The flight attendant secured the door and emergency slide and went on to report the incident to the captain and flight crew.

Another flight attendant reported observing Torres near the door and believed he tampered with the door. As a flight attendant confronted Torres, he responded by asking if there were cameras to show that he did it.

The flight attendant then notified the captain, alleging that Torres posed a threat to the aircraft. They called on the captain to land the aircraft as soon as possible.

Shortly after, Torres allegedly "got out of his seat and approached the starboard side door where two flight attendants were standing in the aisle," the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts noted.

He then thrust toward one of them in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon in his hand. He struck the flight attendant in the neck three times, court documents reportedly added.

Torres was immediately tackled by passengers with the assistance of the flight crew and was restrained until the plane landed in Boston, where he was taken into custody. Meanwhile, the flight attendant said Torres hit his shirt collar and tie three times, according to USA Today.

As per Torres' criminal complaint, investigators said he admitted to going into a bathroom and breaking the spoon to turn it into a weapon.

"Torres admitted to knowing that if he opened the door many people would die," the complaint read, as reported by the outlet.

In a statement, United Airlines said Torres will be banned from flying with the airline, pending an investigation.

"We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United pending an investigation. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation," the outlet quoted the airline as saying.

If convicted of his charges, Torres could be sentenced to life in prison or up to five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. He is expected to return to court Thursday.