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Vyvianna Quinonez
Vyvianna Quiñónez is a woman accused in federal court of attacking a Southwest Airlines flight attendant with so much violence that she broke her teeth.
She was charged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California assault for causing grievous bodily harm and interference with flight crew members and attendees. Both are serious crimes. Her full name is Vyvianna M. Quiñónez and she is from Sacramento, California.
You can read the full federal complaint here. You can watch the viral video of the attack below. The charges were filed on September 1, 2021, although the incident occurred in May.
As a result of the assault, Flight Assistant SL was taken to hospital and suffered serious bodily injury. His left eye was purple and swollen, he suffered a cut under his left eye, requiring four stitches, he had a finger-shaped bruise on his right forearm, and three of his teeth were splintered, and two of them they needed to be replaced by crowns.
Quiñonez later claimed that she “acted in self-defense,” the complaint says.
Here’s what you need to know:
The attack took place on a Southwest Airlines flight to San Diego
According to the complaint, on May 23, 2021, Southwest Airlines Flight 700 was traveling from Sacramento Airport to San Diego International Airport.
Quiñonez is accused of assaulting a flight attendant known only as SL in court documents, which caused her to suffer serious bodily injuries.
The complaint accuses Quiñonez of “assaulting and intimidating a flight crew member and flight attendant on Southwest Airlines Flight 700,” saying she “interfered with the performance of the duties of the member and attendant.”
The probable cause statement says Quiñonez boarded the flight and was sitting in a aisle seat in the back row. The victim was a Southwest flight attendant who worked in the back of the plane throughout the flight. At the time, federal rules and regulations required passengers on aircraft over the age of 2 to wear a face covering over their nose and mouth while flying. Passengers were also asked to store their trays and seat belts faster in preparation for landing.
Susan Casa Stidham, who was a passenger on the flight, wrote on Facebook, the attack occurred, “simply because she was asked to put on her seat belt again. I asked her about the injured flight attendant in my return flight and reportedly has a broken nose, injured face and broken teeth.Someone can identify the offender even if he wears a mask.With the hope that they will give him time in jail and put him in jail. the Do Not Fly list “.
The incident began with a push, the complaint says
During the final descent of the plane, the complaint alleges that Quiñónez unbuckled his seat belt and pulled down the tray table.
SL approached him and asked him to fasten his seat belt and keep the tray on the table, but the complaint says, “Quiñónez did not comply.” The flight attendant also instructed Quiñonez to use his mask properly and then returned to his folding seat to land.
The complaint alleges that Quiñónez initiated the recording of PL on his mobile phone. SL again approached Quiñonez who “pushed SL”
SL said, “Don’t push a flight attendant,” or words to that effect.
Around this time, another passenger on the plane began filming the interaction on his cell phone.
“Quiñónez stood up and knowingly attacked SL by intentionally hitting SL in the face and head with his fist clenched and grabbing SL’s hair,” the complaint alleges.
Several other passengers tried to stop Quiñonez by grabbing his clothes and arm, and a male passenger sitting in a row in front of Quiñonez in the middle seat on the other side of the aisle jumped between Quiñónez and SL and indicated to Quiñonez that sit down.
Quiñonez is from Antelope, California, and studied at Sierra College and California State University-Sacramento, according to his LinkedIn profile. She worked as a waitress in a Sacrament restaurant.
Incidents of misconduct by passengers are a problem
According to NBC 7 San Diego, attacks on flight attendants have increased.
“Unfortunately, this is just one of many events,” Lyn Montgomery, president of the Local 556 Transportation Workers ’Union, told the television station.
Between April 8 and May 15, 2021 alone, there were 477 incidents of passenger misconduct on Southwest planes, Montgomery told NBC in July.
“The passenger repeatedly ignored the standard instructions on board and became verbally and physically abusive on landing,” airline spokesman Chris Mainz told the television station.
This is the original version of Heavy.com
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