A man is facing felony charges after punching a sleeping passenger “repeatedly in the face and head until blood was drawn” on a Monday United Airlines flight, according to authorities.
About two hours into UA2247 – which departed San Francisco International Airport and was headed for Washington Dulles International Airport – Everett Chad Nelson got up from his seat at 35F. He went to the lavatory in the front of the aircraft, according to an affidavit filed by the FBI in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Tuesday.
On his way back to his seat, Nelson stopped at seat 12F and, “without notice,” began to physically attack the passenger there who was asleep by punching him over and over.
The man, who remains unidentified, “sustained bruising on his eyes and a gash on his nose” from the assault, the affidavit said. Blood from the victim was on Nelson’s jacket sleeves, the FBI said, and witnesses on the flight said blood also splattered onto the seat, wall and window.
A passenger who was sitting behind the victim told ABC7 News, “He was just very violently and very aggressively just pummeling the guy who was in the window seat who was in front of me, and it was vicious. This wasn’t like a bar room, I’m going to throw a couple of punches around, I mean this was vicious.”
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The attack lasted about one minute, and when the victim woke up and began screaming, another passenger pulled Nelson away.
The flight crew moved Nelson to another seat near the front of the aircraft, where he was monitored by the passenger who intervened. No further incident occurred, and the victim’s wounds were treated by a doctor who was onboard, the FBI said.
“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday,” United Airlines said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”
The affidavit said Nelson sustained no observable injuries, and there was no indication that the victim hit him back in defense.
Nelson is being charged with one count of committing assault by beating, striking and wounding, which is a felony. His trial is set for Dec. 11.
As of Sunday, the FAA has gotten 1,748 reports of unruly passengers for 2024.