A Mexican national who was granted lawful permanent resident status in 2018 pleaded guilty Thursday after admitting he bundled three pens together with hair bands before boarding a Seattle-to-Las Vegas flight, then tried to stab another passenger "through the eye to reach his brain," according to federal prosecutors.The terrifying attack unfolded about 30 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land in Las Vegas, when Julio Alvarez Lopez allegedly left his seat, walked to the restroom and, after returning, suddenly began punching, hitting and stabbing a passenger seated across the aisle, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.Witnesses told investigators there was "blood everywhere" as the victim's wife screamed at Lopez to stop attacking her husband.During the struggle, the complaint says she was struck while shielding the couple's 7-year-old son.After the attack, Lopez "began walking towards the front of the aircraft," according to the complaint.
As he moved up the aisle, a witness told investigators Lopez repeatedly yelled, "I'll only talk to the FBI."CHAOS ERUPTS ON AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT AS UNRULY PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY BITES FELLOW TRAVELER MIDAIRFederal investigators say Julio Alvarez Lopez made this homemade weapon by bundling three pens together with hair bands before attacking a passenger aboard a flight.(U.S.
Department of Justice)A sworn law enforcement officer aboard the flight ordered Lopez to sit down before flight attendants provided flex cuffs and passengers restrained him for the remainder of the flight, according to the complaint.The flight landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took Lopez into custody.PASSENGER ALLEGEDLY BOARDS FLIGHT WITH FAKE BOARDING PASS, FORCING PLANE BACK TO GATEFederal court records show injuries around the victim's eye after prosecutors say he was attacked aboard a flight on Jan.24, 2024.
(U.S.Dep...