A United Airlines passenger tried to open an emergency exit door and then allegedly tried to punch a flight attendant on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. The incident happened on Sunday, and on Monday the man was charged, according to American television.

Francisco Severo Torres, 33, was aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston on Sunday. 45 minutes before landing, he approached the emergency exit door, which is located in the area that separates first class from economy class.

The crew received an alarm that this door was disabled. The flight attendant noted that the door lock handle was moved from the standard position, and the emergency arming lever was moved to the “disarmed” position. After the door was resealed, the flight attendant told her co-workers that she saw Torres at the door and thought he had come to the door.

The flight attendant then approached Torres to explain the facts to him, and he allegedly responded by asking if there were any cameras showing him doing it.

The flight attendants told the captain of the plane that they had to land as soon as possible, considering Torres a threat to the safety of the flight.

Shortly thereafter, Torres approached the same door with two flight attendants standing by. Torres rushed and stabbed the flight attendant three times in the neck with a metal spoon, which he had specially broken in the bathroom to turn into some kind of weapon.

Other passengers eventually intervened and Torres was restrained with the help of other crew members. He was taken into custody after the plane arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston.

Torres told investigators he thought one of the flight attendants was trying to kill him, so he broke the end of a spoon in the bathroom before trying to open the door to jump from the plane, even though he knew people would die if he did. .open the door.

The flight attendant, whose identity has not been released, told police he was not injured, according to court documents.

According to a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts, the man was charged with assaulting crew members and flight attendants with a dangerous weapon.

United Airlines said Torres would be banned from flying with the company until the investigation is complete. At the same time, the company thanked for the “quick actions” of the crew and its passengers, adding that “the plane landed safely and was met by law enforcement agencies.”

If found guilty, the young man faces the maximum penalty of life imprisonment.