Man accused of beating and bleeding another passenger who was sleeping on a US flight

A United Airlines jet glides in for a landing at Denver International Airport on Jan. 16 in Denver. (AP)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., Nov. 2 (AP): A man faces an assault charge after an unprovoked attack on a fellow passenger who authorities said was sleeping during a cross-country flight this week. An FBI agent said Everett Chad Nelson punched the other man repeatedly in the face and head, causing the man to bleed, before another passenger pulled him off the victim.

The attack on a United Airlines flight Monday from San Francisco to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia lasted about a minute. “Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer,” United said in a statement. “The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement.”

United said there were 82 customers and six crew members on board the flight. According to an FBI affidavit, Nelson left his seat in the back of the plane and used a restroom near the front before attacking the other man, who suffered bruises around his eyes and a cut on the nose. Blood spattered the sleeves of Nelson’s windbreaker.

The officer said Nelson was moved to a seat near the front of the plane and was being watched by the passenger who stopped the attack. There was no indication Nelson knew the victim, who was not identified. The public defender listed as Nelson’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal magistrate ruled that Nelson should be held in custody until his trial, scheduled for December 11 in Alexandria, Virginia. The magistrate cited the evidence against Nelson and his history of lack of stable employment and residence. There have been more than 1,700 reports of unruly passengers on planes this year, which is on track to increase the number of incidents last year. Reports of unruly passengers rose in 2021 and, although declining over the next two years, have remained higher than before the coronavirus pandemic.