Frontier Airlines passenger assaults flight attendants, DOJ alleges; SFO-bound plane diverted to Ontario
A Bay Area man is facing federal charges after allegedly causing a violent disturbance and assaulting flight attendants on a Frontier Airlines flight from Orange County bound for San Francisco.
The U.S. Attorney's Office from the Central District of California said in a press statement Thursday that 30-year-old Charles Angel Salva of Fremont was arrested Wednesday after his flight from John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana was diverted to Ontario International Airport shortly after takeoff.
According to a federal complaint, as the plane was climbing, flight attendants noticed oxygen masks had dropped from the overhead compartment above one of the seat rows; they found that a passenger, identified as Salva, had his hand in the overhead compartment. A passenger told flight attendants that Salva appeared claustrophobic and had pulled the oxygen mask down, getting his hand stuck in the compartment, the complaint alleged.
One of the flight attendants noticed Salva looked to be in distress and he began yelling obscenities, also saying "we are all going to hell," and "this airplane is going down," the complaint said.
The flight attendant said Salva began violently grabbing at passengers and then ran to the rear of the plane where the attendant tried to enlist the help of other passengers to restrain him, according to the complaint.
As the flight attendant and others tried to restrain Salva, he allegedly grabbed the lanyard around the flight attendant's neck and tried to choke her with it, the complaint said. A second flight attendant also tried to restrain Salva, and according to the complaint:
SALVA also pushed Flight Attendant 2's upper chest "with force" and said he was going to kill everybody. Passengers then helped restrain SALVA, and Flight Attendant 2 went to the rear of the plane to retrieve flex cuffs and notify the captain. When Flight Attendant 2 returned, SALVA was "swinging and kicking everyone." Flight Attendant 2 reported that SALVA was "strong and in a violent uncontrollable rage." Flight Attendant 2 also reported that SALVA broke out of two sets of flex cuffs, and that multiple passengers attempted to hold SALVA down. While the passengers attempted to restrain SALVA, SALVA kicked Flight Attendant 2's right calf approximately six times.
Criminal complaint: U.S. vs. Charles Angel Salva
The plane was diverted to Ontario after the flight attendants told the pilots they did not feel safe trying to keep Salva restrained. Police officers who boarded the plane after it landed in Ontario found Salva being held down by passengers, including Salva's brother, and Salva's hands were restrained with plastic flex cuffs and a seatbelt, the complaint said.
Officers reported Salva continued to act erratically when being removed from the plane and he was eventually placed on a gurney with soft cuffs and taken to a local hospital. One of the flight attendants was also taken to a hospital for treatment after suffering injuries to her leg.
On Thursday, Salva appeared in U.S. District Court in Riverside and was charged with interfering with flight crew members and attendants. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
The Department of Justice requested that Salva be held in pretrial detention to assure his appearance in court proceedings and for the safety of others.
The FBI and the Ontario Police Department were also investigating the case.