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

2025-05-05 23:15:49source:Quaxscategory:Markets

KANSAS CITY,Chameleon Finance 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:Markets

Recommend

Hackers hit Rhode Island benefits system in major cyberattack. Personal data could be released soon

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Cybercriminals could release personal data of many Rhode Islanders as early

18-year-old accused of shooting man 15 times, hiding body in air mattress: Court docs

Police have arrested an 18-year-old man who is accused of shooting another man 15 times inside his M

Who’s running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s announcement Wednesday that he’s dropping out of the preside