Authorities say a man faces felony charges for punching a sleeping United Airlines passenger “repeatedly” in the head and face until blood was drained.
Everett Chad Nelson arose from his seat in 35F about two hours after UA2247 departed San Francisco International Airport. The flight was heading to Washington Dulles International Airport. According to an FBI affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia Tuesday, Nelson went to the toilet in front of the plane.
Nelson, on his way to his seat in the plane, stopped at seat 12F. “Unnoticed,” he began punching the sleeping passenger.
According to the affidavit, the man who is still unidentified “suffered bruising around his eyes and a cut on his nose from the attack.” The FBI reported that blood was found on Nelson’s jacket sleeve. Witnesses on the flight also noted that there were splatters of blood on the window, seat, and wall.
ABC7 News reported that a passenger sitting behind the victim said, “He was violently and aggressively beating the guy in the window seat in front of me. It was vicious.” This was not a bar, where I would throw a few punches. I mean, this was brutal.
Nelson was pulled away by another passenger when the victim began to scream and wake up.
The flight crew moved Nelson from his seat to a new one near the front, where the passenger who intervened was able to monitor him. The FBI reported that no further incident took place, and a doctor onboard treated the victim’s injuries.
United Airlines released a statement saying that “thanks to the swift action of our crew members and customers, a passenger was restrained on a flight between San Francisco and Washington Dulles Monday after becoming physically aggressive towards another customer.” The flight landed safely, and paramedics as well as local law enforcement met the plane.
According to the affidavit, Nelson did not appear to have suffered any injuries and there were no signs that the victim had hit him in self-defense.
Nelson faces a single count of assault by striking, beating, and wounding. This is a felony. The date of his trial has been set for December 11.
The FAA received 1,748 reports on unruly passengers as of Sunday.
