Massachusetts man pleads guilty to attacking a flight attendant with a
broken spoon
[May 14, 2025]
BOSTON (AP) — A
Massachusetts man pleaded guilty Tuesday to attacking a flight attendant
with a broken metal spoon and attempting to open an airliner’s emergency
door on a cross-country flight.
Francisco Severo Torres, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of
interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and
attendants using a dangerous weapon in the March 2023 disturbance on
United Airlines Flight 2609 from Los Angeles to Boston. |
This booking photo provided by Massachusetts State Police on March 7,
2023, shows Francisco Severo Torres. (Massachusetts State Police via AP,
File) |
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According to prosecutor and witness accounts, Torres went on a
midair rant and tried to stab a crew member with a modified
metal spoon.
The plane was about 45 minutes from Boston when the crew
received an alarm that a side door on the aircraft was disarmed,
according to court documents. One flight attendant noticed the
door’s locking handle had been moved. Another saw Torres near
the door and believed he had moved the handle. Cabin pressure
during flight prevents airplane doors from opening.
Torres started loudly rambling that his father was Dracula, that
he wanted to be shot so he could be reincarnated and that he
would kill everyone on board, another passenger said. He punched
a male flight attendant, who felt the metal spoon in Torres’
hand hit him on his shirt collar and tie three times, according
to court documents. No one was injured.
Torres was eventually subdued and restrained by other
passengers. He was arrested when the flight landed at Boston
Logan International Airport, authorities said.
Torres could be sentenced up to life in prison.
A lawyer for Torres could not be reached for comment.
Torres has spent time in mental health facilities, according to
court records. The police chief in his hometown said officers
have dealt with him several times since 2014, mostly over family
issues and mental health episodes.
During one court appearance after his arrest, a federal judge
ruled that Torres was not competent to stand trial and that he
needed additional treatment. Magistrate Judge Judith Dein based
her decision on a mental health evaluation of Torres and her own
observations.
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