Man Who Tried to Stab Flight Attendant with Broken Spoon After Attempting to Open Aircraft Door Mid-Flight Pleads Guilty

A man from Massachusetts has pleaded guilty after attempting to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon and allegedly trying to open a door mid-flight, authorities have said.

On March 5, 2023, Francisco Severo Torres, 34, of Leominster, Mass., was a passenger aboard a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston when he was accused of tampering with an airplane door around 45 minutes prior to landing, a Tuesday, May 13 U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts press release stated.

He then allegedly yelled that he would “kill every man on this plane” and “I’m taking over this plane,” before being accused of thrusting “towards one of the flight attendants in a stabbing motion with a broken metal spoon, hitting the flight attendant on the neck area three times,” the release recalled.

According to the Associated Press, no one was injured during the incident, citing court documents.

On Tuesday, Torres “pleaded guilty to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon,” the office of the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts confirmed.

Torres, who was immediately taken into custody upon the flight’s arrival at Boston Logan International Airport following the incident, was initially charged by criminal complaint on March 6, 2023, before he was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of that year.

Once the cabin door had allegedly been tampered with on the flight, “the crew received an alarm in the cockpit that a starboard side door located between the first class and coach sections of the aircraft was disarmed,” the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said in the release.

The post continued, “Upon inspection, a flight attendant found that the door’s locking handle had been moved out of the fully locked position – approximately a quarter of the way towards the unlocked position — and that the emergency slide arming lever had been moved to the ‘disarmed’ position. The flight attendant reported this to the captain and flight crew after securing the door and emergency slide.”

A flight attendant who had allegedly witnessed Torres near the door notified the captain that they thought the passenger “posed a threat to the aircraft” and that they needed to land “as soon as possible.”

“Shortly thereafter, Torres got out of his seat and approached the starboard side door where two flight attendants were standing in the aisle,” the release said, adding that that’s when the suspect went to attack the flight attendant, before he was tackled by fellow passengers and restrained with the assistance of flight crew.

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The office of the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts stated that during subsequent interviews, passengers had reportedly said that Torres had “asked a fellow passenger where on the safety card it showed where the door handle was located during the flight attendants’ safety briefing prior to takeoff.”

He’s also thought to have been “seen pacing in a galley before attacking the flight attendant,” per the release.

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Torres is expected to be sentenced on July 17. He could face a sentence of up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts said.

United Airlines said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE following the update in the case, “Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one customer was restrained after becoming a security concern on a flight from Los Angeles to Boston. The flight landed safely and was met by law enforcement. No serious injuries were reported.”

“We have zero tolerance for any type of violence on our flights, and this customer will be banned from flying on United. We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation,” they added.

FBI Boston didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. The Massachusetts State Police didn’t have any further updates to add.