The attack occurred last Monday aboard a United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Dulles, Virginia.
A man is accused of beating and bloodying another passenger who was sleeping on a flight in the United States, authorities say. The attack occurred on Monday aboard a United Airlines transcontinental flight from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
For about a minute, Everett Chad Nelson punched the other passenger repeatedly in the face and head until he bled, an FBI agent told The Associated Press. Another passenger stopped the violence by pushing the attacker away from the victim.
“Thanks to the rapid intervention of our crew and our customers, a passenger was able to be subdued after being physically aggressive towards another customer,” United Airlines confirmed in a press release. “The plane landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.” United Airlines said there were 82 customers and six crew members on the flight.
“Blood-curdling screams”
According to the FBI, the attacker, who was seated at the back of the plane, entered the toilet located at the front of the plane before attacking the other passenger for no reason. The latter had bruises around his eyes as well as a cut on his nose, which explains the blood spatters.
“I heard bloodcurdling screams,” one of the passengers on the flight, awakened by the event, told ABC. “He was violently and aggressively hitting the guy in the window seat in front of me. It was vicious.”
Once restrained, Everett Chad Nelson was moved to a front seat of the plane and closely monitored by the passenger who intervened. No information confirms that the attacker knew his victim.
A federal magistrate ordered the criminal's detention until his trial, scheduled for December 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. The magistrate cited the alleged facts while specifying that the man does not have a stable job or a place of residence.
According to a recent report from IATA (the international air transport association), in 2022, one incident was reported for 568 flights compared to one for 835 flights in 2021, an increase of 47%. Above all, although physical violence is fortunately rare, it increases by 61% compared to 2021, with one incident every 17,200 flights.
