Man Admits to Stabbing Fellow Passenger With Homemade Shank on Alaska Airlines Flight to Las Vegas

Julio Alvarez Lopez, a Mexican national and legal permanent US resident, has pleaded guilty to federal charges after stabbing a random passenger with a homemade weapon aboard an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Las Vegas, according to court records and federal officials. Lopez initially pleaded not guilty in March 2024 but reversed his plea on June 30, 2026.

The attack happened during the aircraft's initial descent approximately 30 minutes before landing, prompting crew and passengers to restrain Lopez and request emergency assistance upon landing. Investigators say Lopez fashioned the weapon himself – three ink pens bound tightly together with hair bands, then used it to attack a fellow traveler.

What Happened on Board

The incident unfolded aboard Alaska Airlines flight AS-604 as the aircraft made its initial descent toward Harry Reid International Airport on the morning of January 24, 2024. According to federal prosecutors, Lopez rose from his seat and attacked the passenger seated near him, punching and repeatedly stabbing the victim with the makeshift pen weapon. 

Witnesses described Lopez as having been "fidgety" for the duration of the two-hour flight, constantly getting up to look through his backpack in the overhead bin and repeatedly putting on and removing his gloves.

After Lopez stopped stabbing the victim, he began walking toward the front of the aircraft.

An off-duty law enforcement officer intervened first, ordering Lopez to sit down, before flight attendants retrieved flexi-cuffs to restrain him for the remainder of the flight. Witnesses described blood across the cabin as the victim's wife pleaded with Lopez to stop during the attack.

The victim sustained severe lacerations to the body and eye area that required surgical stitches. Law enforcement officers boarded the plane and took Lopez into custody immediately upon landing, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department making the arrest.

During a subsequent interview, Lopez waived his Miranda rights and admitted to arming himself with the homemade weapon before the flight. He told investigators he targeted the victim because he believed the passenger was looking at him in a harassing way, and that he was attempting to murder the victim by shoving the bound pens through his eye and into his brain. Before the case reached trial, Lopez was held in custody and spent time in a mental health hospital, where he underwent an evaluation to determine whether he was fit to stand trial.

The Guilty Plea

Lopez entered a guilty plea in federal court to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. Federal law treats crimes committed aboard commercial aircraft as federal offenses, which typically carry stiffer penalties than state charges for similar conduct.

Lopez faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison under the plea deal. Sentencing has been scheduled for September 22, 2026. 

Safety Questions Raised

The case has renewed scrutiny of how improvised weapons can make it through airport checkpoints. TSA screening procedures focus heavily on identifying conventional weapons, explosives, and prohibited items, but homemade objects designed to look ordinary can pose a significant detection challenge. Three pens bound with hair bands would be unlikely to trigger standard screening alerts.

Aviation security experts note that incidents involving passengers using improvised weapons remain rare compared to the total volume of commercial flights operating daily. However, each incident tends to trigger internal reviews at both the airline and federal levels.

Flight attendants receive training on how to handle violent passengers, restrain suspects, and coordinate with pilots to alert authorities on the ground.

What Comes Next

The case was investigated by the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. The victim, whose identity has not been publicly released, is expected to submit an impact statement to the court ahead of the September 22 sentencing hearing.

For passengers, the incident serves as a reminder that flight crews rely heavily on cooperation from travelers during onboard emergencies. Anyone who witnesses suspicious behavior on a flight is encouraged to alert cabin crew immediately rather than attempting to intervene alone.