Utah Man Charged With Assault After Brandishing Razor on Flight, U.S. Says
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TUCSON (CBS/AP) — A man with a dangerous weapon on an airline flight faces up to six years in prison for hitting a flight passenger, authorities said.
Coyotstrous Deleon Johnson, 31, of Las Vegas appeared in court Monday, charged with assault and obstruction of a flight crew but was released on a $5,000 bond
More charges are still pending.
He used a metal object to hit the victim on the head. The victim said he was hit in the nose, but the airline crew did not see a bloody nose, nor did the plane’s medical staff do so.
He faced a maximum sentence of five years, U.S. attorney John Bash said. If convicted of assault for the head injury, he could be sentenced to up to six years in prison.
In a statement, the victim said he was hurt when he was trying to calm a woman upset over a baby’s crying.
The woman called the police after Johnson pointed the object at her. The victim said the airline staff were called, but they were not called before the flight was airborne because the airline’s flight attendant was not present and no record is kept of those who are in the cockpit when the plane is in flight.
“My experience at Frontier Airlines has been good to me and I would like to thank everyone for the support,” the victim wrote to The Associated Press.
Johnson was found hiding in a nearby cargo area after landing at Tucson International Airport, said Tucson police Lt. Rick Martinez.
He was placed in the custody of federal agents who placed him on a flight to Las Vegas, where he was to be arraigned on Monday.
The U.S. attorney’s office said the case is not unique.
Just last week, a man with a dangerous weapon aboard an airplane was arrested after trying to board a Southwest Airlines flight from Detroit to Los Angeles with a gun in his car, authorities said.
Tucson police have arrested