A Mexican national who was granted lawful permanent resident status in 2018 pleaded guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon after a violent attack on a passenger during a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas. The attack unfolded about 30 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land, when Julio Alvarez Lopez allegedly left his seat, walked to the restroom, and then began punching, hitting, and stabbing a passenger seated across the aisle.
Witnesses described the scene as "blood everywhere" as the victim's wife screamed at Lopez to stop attacking her husband, and during the struggle, she was struck while shielding their 7-year-old son. Lopez ultimately began walking towards the front of the aircraft, yelling "I'll only talk to the FBI," before a sworn law enforcement officer ordered him to sit down.
According to the complaint, Lopez admitted to investigators that he made a weapon by bundling three pens together with hair bands before boarding the aircraft. He told them he believed the victim had been following him during the flight and that he was trying to get him to stop following him. Lopez also stated that he had planned on attacking and killing the victim by stabbing him in the eye.
The victim suffered injuries to his body and eye area that required stitches, while Lopez was taken into custody by officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after the flight landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport. Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22.
