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For roughly one minute, a Florida man unexpectedly rained blows upon an unsuspecting passenger aboard a cross-country flight heading from San Francisco toward Washington, D.C., on Monday afternoon, a federal agent alleged.
Blood from the victim, asleep at the time and unprepared for the vicious assault, splashed onto the sleeves of the suspect’s lime green windbreaker, an FBI special agent claimed in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Stains splattered onto nearby seats, walls and windows as blood flew from the victim’s head and face, the agent wrote.
The victim’s screams ultimately saved him, as a bystander stepped in, subdued the attacker and held him at bay for the remaining three hours until the assailant was arrested upon landing, the agent alleged.
Florida resident Everett Chad Nelson faces federal assault charges in the incident. The victim’s name was not released.
A call to Nelson’s court-ordered public defender was not immediately returned. Nelson is due back in court Dec. 11.
The FBI received an alert from the Transportation Security Administration at 9:26 a.m. about a disturbance aboard a roughly five-hour United Airlines flight from San Francisco to Dulles Airport in Virginia.
Nelson was seated about four rows from the back of the 82-seat plane. He was returning to his seat after using the restroom at the front of the plane about two hours into the flight when he stopped at the 12th row.
The affidavit alleges that he “began physically attacking a sleeping male passenger by punching him repeatedly in the face and head until blood was drawn.”
The victim suffered bruises on his eyes and a gash on his nose, according to the FBI agent.
Another passenger eventually broke up the fight, according to the affidavit and United Airlines media relations. The victim was treated by a doctor aboard the plane.
Nelson was eventually moved to the front of the aircraft and monitored by the passenger who had earlier stopped him, according to the affidavit and United.
“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer,” United Airlines wrote in a statement.
United said the flight landed on time and was met by paramedics and law enforcement at the gate.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it was conducting its own investigation of the incident. Airlines have been besieged by unruly passengers this year, the FAA said, citing roughly 1,700 incidents to date.