On United Airlines flight 2247 from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. on Monday a Florida man engaged in a violent assault against another passenger.
44-year-old Everett Chad Nelson, seated at the rear of the plane, left his seat to use a forward lavatory on the Boeing 737 MAX 9. Upon coming out of the bathroom, he paused near seat 12F, where an unsuspecting male passenger was asleep. Without warning, he launched into a minute-long attack. Witnesses describe Nelson repeatedly punching the man in the face and head, causing significant injury and leaving the immediate area covered in blood.
The FBI’s report details that Nelson’s assault left the victim with two black eyes and a lacerated nose. Blood spattered across the seat, window, wall, and onto Nelson’s own green windbreaker. The attack came without an apparent motive, and authorities confirm that there was no previous interaction between the two men.
A fellow passenger ultimately intervened, restraining Nelson and separating him from the battered victim, who then received first aid from a doctor onboard. Following the assault, United crew members relocated Nelson to the front of the aircraft, where he was monitored for the remainder of the flight. There were 81 other passengers on board.
According to a United spokesperson,
Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday. The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.
Boeing 737 MAX 9, credit: United
The violent outburst carries potential jail time of up to a year in prison for felony assault as well as FAA administrative penalties. He’s certainly going to receive a lifetime ban from United Airlines. Occurring on the same day that passengers in premium economy on a British Airways flight headed to Austin erupted into violence of a MAGA hat, the world is definitely getting weirder.
(HT: Paul H)