Massachusetts Man Tried To Attack Flight Attendant, Open Emergency Exit Mid-Flight

On Sunday, March 5, 2023, a Massachusetts man was arrested after causing quite the disruption aboard United Airlines flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston.

About an hour before the flight was scheduled to land at Boston Logan International Airport, Francisco Severo Torres reportedly tried to open an emergency exit door, reported USA Today. When he was confronted about tampering with the door, he then allegedly attempted to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon.

Torres, 33, was charged with one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. He was arrested by Massachusetts State Police when the plane landed, and he has been in custody since then.

The flight crew realized something was wrong when an alarm sounded in the cockpit 45 minutes before landing. The U.S. Attorney's Office stated, "Upon inspection, a flight attendant found that the door's locking handle had been moved out of the fully locked position - approximately a quarter of the way towards the unlocked position - and that the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the 'disarmed' position.”

Lisa Olsen of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, was a passenger on the flight and took video footage of the incident. She said Torres was out of control and told CNN that he started rambling and became more agitated when fellow passengers tried to calm him down. At one point, he tried to run to the front of the plane, and Olsen said flight attendants blocked his access to the cockpit by preventing him from entering the front area of the plane.

CBS News stated that passengers tackled Torres and restrained him with the help of the flight crew, according to a Boston police detective.

At a detention hearing in federal court on Thursday, March 9, Judge Judith G. Dein ordered a mental health evaluation for Torres. He said another detention hearing would be held for the suspect after the mental health evaluation was completed, explained CBS News.

According to the Telegram & Gazette, while a restrained Torres was being led out of the courtroom, he exclaimed, "My name's still Baltazar, I was renamed by God."

Torres could potentially be sentenced to life in prison if he’s convicted of the charges against him and could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000.