Who Is Francisco Torres? Man Accused of Attacking United Crew Mid-Air
A man has been arrested and charged after allegedly attempting to open an emergency exit door and attacking a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon.
The U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts issued a press release on Monday following Francisco Torres' arrest.
The 33-year-old was aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston on March 5, when the incident occurred around 45 minutes before the plane was set to land.
Torres, from Leominster, Massachusetts, was eventually tackled by passengers and restrained until the flight landed.
He was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon following an appearance on Monday before the U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Dein.
Torres has been detained pending a hearing set for March 9, 2023.
A video of his alleged attempts to open the emergency door and attack United staff has begun circulating on social media.
The video has gone viral since being posted on Monday and has been viewed more than 100,000 times.
🚨#WATCH: Terrifying video as a man attacks a flight attendant and attempts to open emergency exit during United Airlines flight
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) March 7, 2023
⁰📌#Boston | #MA
⁰Watch shocking video that shows a 33-year-old man trying to open an emergency exit door and attempting to stab a flight attendant… https://t.co/SntFwMd4Xk pic.twitter.com/lRihhHGIbQ
In the clip, a man believed to be Torres is seen pacing up and down the plane aisle while holding an item in his hand.
The individual can then be seen lunging at another person on the plane before they are apprehended by other passengers and tackled to the floor.
Prior to this alleged altercation involving Torres, the crew in the cockpit received an alarm that a starboard side door located between the first class and coach sections of the aircraft had been disarmed.
A flight attendant who investigated the door found that the door's locking handle had been moved out of the fully locked position, approximately one-quarter of the way toward the unlocked position.
The press release noted that in addition to this, the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the "disarmed" position.
The flight attendant reported this to the captain and flight crew after resecuring the door and emergency slide.
The flight attendant then began to deliberate over which passenger, if any, was responsible for the door tampering. One flight attendant reported that he had observed Torres near the door.
A flight attendant confronted Torres about the tampering, to which he allegedly responded by asking if there were cameras showing that he had done so.
The flight attendant then notified the captain and said they believed Torres posed a threat to the aircraft and to land as soon as possible.
A press release stated: "It is alleged that Torres got out of his seat and approached the starboard side door where two flight attendants were standing in the aisle.
"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.
Passengers then tackled Torres, restraining him with the assistance of the flight crew.
Torres was immediately taken into custody upon the flight's arrival to Boston.
If found guilty of the charges of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon, Torres could face life imprisonment.
Newsweek has contacted United Airlines via email for comment.
