A California woman who allegedly punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face, knocking out two of her teeth, and pulling her hair has been charged with felony assault in federal court.
Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, was also charged on Wednesday with interfering with a flight crew, a felony. She is scheduled to appear in court in San Diego on September 17.
The attendant on the Southwest Airlines plane, identified in court documents only as S.L., lost two teeth and suffered other injuries to her face after instructing the suspect to fasten her seatbelt and wear her face mask properly on the May 23 flight from Sacramento, California, to San Diego, prosecutors stated.
Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, from California, has been charged with federal counts of felony assault and interfering with a flight crew for allegedly attacking a Southwest flight attendant
A viral video shows a passenger identified as Quinonez punching the crew member in the face with a closed fist and pulling her hair
The flight attendant had a gash under her left eye that required four stitches after being punched in the face and bruises in the shape of fingers on her right arm, according to a probable cause statement.
The chaotic scene on board Southwest Airlines Flight 700 was captured on a passenger's cellphone video, which shows a blonde woman in a mask repeatedly punching the female crew member in the face, leaving her bloodied.
The flight attendant had asked Quinonez to fasten her seatbelt, stow her tray table and properly wear her facemask as the plane began its final descent.
According to the probable cause statement, when S.L. noticed that Quinonez was filming her on her phone and approached her, the passenger pushed the flight attendant, who reacted by telling the woman: 'You do not push a flight attendant.'
A male passenger jumped between the passenger and the flight attendant to stop the assault
The flight attendant is seen with blood streaming down her face after suffering a cut beneath her right eye that required stitches. Her left eye was bruised and swollen, and she had a bruise in the shape of fingers on her right arm
'Quinonez stood up and knowingly assaulted S.L by intentionally punching S.L. in the face and head with a closed fist and grabbing S.L.'s hair,' the document states.
Video of the altercation shows a male passenger sitting one row ahead of Quinonez jump in between her and the flight attendant to stop the beating.
'Sit down!' the man yells at Quinonez. 'Don't you dare touch her! Sit the f*** down!'
The recording show the flight attendant standing behind the male passenger and wiping blood off her face.
Quinonez, left, claimed self-defense. She also faces a charge of felony battery causing serious bodily injury in state court
The victim is pictured being taken away by wheelchair en route to a hospital in San Diego
The victim was later photographed being removed from the plane in a wheelchair before being taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital to be treated for her injuries.
Quinonez told authorities that she acted in self-defense, according to the court filing.
The incident marked an escalation in unruly behavior by airline passengers and led the president of the flight attendants´ union to ask for more federal air marshals on planes.
Federal authorities have been cracking down on out-of-control airline passengers as the number of in-flight altercations has skyrocketed in recent months.
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a total of $1million in fines to 80 passengers so far this year after receiving nearly 3,900 reports of incidents since January.
One JetBlue customer was hit with the heaviest fine of $45,000 for hurling objects at passengers and putting his head up a flight attendant's skirt in May.
Quinonez also faces a charge of felony battery causing serious bodily injury in state court. She has been out on $35,000 bail.
Tanya Sierra, a spokeswoman for the San Diego County district attorney's office, said Quinonez is scheduled to appear in court on September 10.
