A Florida man assaulted a deaf and nonverbal passenger who was asleep during a United Airlines flight earlier in October. The FBI and FAA are currently investigating the incident with the suspect facing fines and time in jail.

"Sucker Punched"

The incident occurred two hours into a Monday United Airlines Flight 2247 from San Francisco, California to Washington D.C.. A federal complaint claims Everett Chad Nelson, 44, got up to use the cabin's restroom at the front of the interior. Upon leaving the restroom, he stopped at seat 12F where "without notice" he proceeded to physically assault an unnamed sleeping male passenger in the head and face. The attack lasted for a full minute until another passenger intervened.

The complaint details that blood was speckled across both men, along with aircraft seats, walls, and windows. A witness told ABC 7 News that the victim let out “blood-curdling screams”.

The victim suffered a large cut across his nose and two black eyes. An off-duty doctor who was also a passenger on the flight treated the man for his injuries when it was discovered that he was incapable of hearing or talking. He tried communicating in sign language before a United flight attendant communicated with him through text messages.

The complaint notes that Nelson was unscathed following his assault and he had no previous encounter with his victim. The witness stated Nelson claimed to have been attacked by the deaf man "in the street" prior to the flight, but the man denies ever knowing Nelson.

Following the attack, Nelson was moved to a seat in front along with the intervening passenger watching him for the rest of the five-hour flight. There were 82 passengers en route to Washington, with six crew members also on board.

Aftermath of the Flight

The TSA labeled the incident as a "Level 2 disturbance" which is described as "physical abusive behavior".

United Airlines publicly commented on the attack from Monday:

“Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday. The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”
 

Nelson has been charged with one count of beating, striking, and wounding during a commercial flight. If convicted, Nelson could be imprisoned for up to a year and be subject to fines of up to $37,000. He is currently being detained with his next hearing being scheduled for Wednesday.

On March 1 2024, an unruly English passenger on United Airlines Flight 883 from Newark, New Jersey to London, England had a loud verbal altercation with his girlfriend and other flight attendants. The incident escalated to a physical altercation with the man being detained with flex cuffs and having to pay a substantial fine of $20,638 to United. He had served his time in prison as of April 25.

The FAA has recorded over 1,748 unruly passenger reports thus far in 2024, closing in on last year's total of 2,076. The record of incidents stands at 5,973 which was set in 2021.