According to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, a woman who in May 2017 was viral with violent violence with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was charged with two felony counts. Vyvianna Quinonez, accused of breaking some of the flight attendant’s teeth, was charged with assault that caused serious bodily injury and interfering with flight crew members.
Three of the flight attendant’s teeth were broken (two were so damaged they needed crowns) and a cut under his left eye needed four stitches, according to the criminal complaint. He also had a bruised left eye and hand-shaped bruises on his forearm and three chopped teeth.
The criminal complaint alleges that during the final descent from the flight from Sacramento to San Diego, Quinonez unbuckled his seat belt and dragged the table from the tray, which violates federal regulations. The flight attendant also asked Quinonez to wear the mask correctly. When the operator returned to her seat, Quinonez began filming her with her cell phone, according to the complaint. When he approached and questioned Quinonez, he allegedly pushed the flight attendant and then punched him and pulled his hair, according to the complaint.
Video of the May incident shows a passenger jumping to stop the 28-year-old. “His!” he shouted, blocking Quinonez from the bloodthirsty innkeeper. “Don’t you dare touch a flight attendant like that.”
Wednesday’s charges come after the Federal Aviation Administration announced earlier this week that it has received nearly 4,100 complaints from unruly passengers since the beginning of the year and nearly 3,000 complaints from passengers refusing to carry masks. The Transportation Safety Administration has extended the federal mask mandate on board until 2022.
The incident is part of a sudden rise in harmful passengers in airplanes. To date, the FAA is investigating 727 incidents and has sought civil sanctions in 143 cases, according to data provided by the agency. The FAA has done just that requested a record $ 1 million in fines against passengers this year, including more than Fine of $ 52,000 against a traveler. Passengers can appeal against civilian fines requested by the FAA and local law enforcement can file criminal charges.