Michael Schmidt:Airline passenger gets 19-month sentence. US says he tried to enter cockpit and open an exit door

2025-05-02 15:24:29source:Coxnocategory:reviews

KANSAS CITY,Michael Schmidt Mo. (AP) — A airline passenger who tried to craft a shank from plastic cutlery and open the cockpit door during a flight has been sentenced to 19 months in prison.

A federal judge in Missouri handed down the sentence Thursday against Juan Remberto Rivas, 52.

Prosecutors sought a term of between 41 months and 51 months, although they said Rivas was affected by his use of methamphetamine and wasn’t trying to cause a crash.

The incident happened on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in February 2022. Witnesses told an FBI agent that Rivas tried to use plastic cutlery and his shirt sleeve to make a shank, pushed a service cart into a flight attendant, and tried to open both the cockpit door and one of the plane’s exit doors.

A flight attendant hit him over the head with a metal coffee pot, and passengers subdued the man, according to court documents. Pilots landed in Kansas City, where Rivas was arrested.

Rivas pleaded guilty in January to a single count of interfering with a flight crew. Prosecutors said he had two previous convictions, including assaulting a spouse or ex-spouse, and faces a charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer in Missouri.

More:reviews

Recommend

The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test

A private company aiming to build the first supersonic airliner since the Concorde retired more than

Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'

Legendary college basketball announcer Dick Vitale is once again cancer free.The ESPN analyst announ

McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales

Global consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed Friday to pay $650 million to resolve criminal