A 29-year-old passenger who, in an apparent drunken state, assaulted a flight attendant last April and tried to open the cockpit door on a flight from Virginia to Florida (USA) pleaded guilty to the charges and He might face a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, the Pensacola District Attorney’s Office reported Friday.
The defendant, Kameron C. Stone, a resident of Fairfax, Virginia, boarded a United Airlines plane bound for Pensacola, in northwestern Florida, at Dulles International Airport and, at one point during the flight, “began to behave unpleasantly” and to “pretend to shoot other passengers”.
The situation escalated to the point that a stewardess had to repeatedly warn Stone, who “smelled strongly of alcohol,” to behave himself and stay in his seat, warnings he ignored.
“As the flight began its descent, Stone approached the front of the plane and attempted to open the cabin doors, which was prevented by a flight attendant whom he pushed once morest the wall and injured,” the Department said in a statement. of Pensacola Justice.
During the altercation, Stone broke through the main exterior cockpit access door, setting off the alarm and prompting the pilots to declare an emergency with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The flight attendant prevented Stone from fully opening the door while three passengers, including a marshal on duty, restrained Stone until the plane landed and arrested him.
The sentencing hearing in a Pensacola court is set for April 28 and Stone faces up to 20 years in prison.
