An American Airlines plane was diverted to Kansas City from LAX when an unruly passenger from Northridge tried to force open a door before he was subdued by a coffee pot across the head, according to a federal affidavit released Monday.
, when an unruly passenger tried to force open a door before he was subdued by a coffee pot across the head, a punch to the jaw and zip ties and duct tape, according to a federal affidavit released Monday.
Rivas was charged Monday with one count of interference with a flight attendant. A detention hearing is pending but has not yet been scheduled, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Kansas City said in a news release. It wasn't immediately clear if Rivas had an attorney.Rivas was allegedly creating a disturbance and walked to the cockpit area, grabbing plastic silverware and holding it"like a shank.
One of the passengers was a police officer who was able to pull Rivas away from the door, the affidavit stated. Another passenger punched Rivas in the jaw and a third grabbed his neck and pulled him to the floor. Passengers and flight attendants restrained Rivas until they could secure his hands and feet with zip ties and duct tape, the affidavit stated., the Kansas City Star reported that the pilot told air traffic controllers that four passengers helped to contain the unruly passenger.
"We're grateful to our crew members, who are consistently dedicated to the safety and care of our customers and who handled the circumstances with the utmost skill and professionalism," American Airlines said in a statement.