Passengers “Worked Together To Tackle” Guy Who Tried To Unlock Airplane Door

During a journey from Los Angeles to Boston, a passenger who assisted in restraining a man who attempted to open a plane door said the drama was resolved quickly thanks to cooperation.

Simik Ghookasian was seated behind the person who, according to the prosecution, silently attempted to open an emergency door before attempting to stab a flight attendant with a shattered metal spoon.

“I heard the guy growing louder and louder and I thought it was just an argument, but he started ranting and screaming and threatening people, threatening to kill them,” recalled Mr. Ghookasian, a LA federal contractor traveling to Boston on United Airlines 2609 on Sunday for work.

He hadn’t seen anything odd about the man, Francisco Severo Torres, according to federal authorities, until the shouting.

According to Mr. Ghookasian, he was one of the five or six passengers who piled on Torres and forced him to drop the makeshift weapon. The broken spoon was made up of the handle with the bowl portion cut off.

He commented, “The guy was incredibly strong and was really resisting. We struggled to keep him down. There was complete collaboration.

In response to Mr. Ghookasian’s request for cable ties or duct tape, the flight attendant supplied cable ties.

Mr. Ghookasian, who claimed to have had training in first aid and counterterrorism, said he did not have time to be afraid; instead, he simply reacted and used his instincts.

“Everything just exploded in a few seconds,” he said.

Federal authorities said Torres, 33, of Leominster, Massachusetts, was detained when the aircraft touched down in Boston and charged with interfering with flight crew members and attendants and attempting to do so with a deadly weapon.

He was held in custody until a hearing that was planned for Thursday.

His federal public defender received an email requesting feedback, and a voicemail was also left. According to court records, the crew learned that a side door on the aircraft had been deactivated while the plane was about 45 minutes from Boston.

The locking handle on the door had been repositioned, the flight attendant noted. One person saw Torres standing close to the door and assumed he had changed the handle.

Due to cabin pressure, airplane doors cannot be opened while in flight. According to authorities, the crew informed the captain that Toress posed a hazard and that a quick landing was required.

According to court filings, Torres then approached two flight attendants. The metal object in Torres’s hand struck the flight attendant three times on his tie and shirt collar.

According to the documents, Torres claimed investigators he entered the airplane’s washroom and broke a spoon in half to create a weapon.

He allegedly informed officials that he intended to unlock the door so he could jump out of the aircraft.

According to the investigators, Torres acknowledged knowing that many people would perish if he opened the door. They claimed that he thought the flight attendant was attempting to murder him.

Although rules permit passengers to bring metal utensils other than blades into airplanes, authorities have not revealed where Torres obtained the spoon.

According to United Airlines, thanks to the passengers, nobody was wounded.

Torres may be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty.