An American Airlines passenger on a 2022 flight attempted to open both an exit door and the cockpit door, officials reported. Getty Images
A passenger who attempted to create a weapon from plastic cutlery and tried to enter the cockpit during a flight has been sentenced to 19 months in prison. Juan Remberto Rivas, 52, received the sentence from a federal judge in Missouri on Thursday.
Prosecutors initially sought a longer sentence of 41 to 51 months but noted that Rivas was under the influence of methamphetamine at the time and did not intend to cause a crash.
The incident took place on an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in February 2022. According to witnesses who spoke to an FBI agent, Rivas used plastic cutlery and his shirt sleeve to fashion a makeshift weapon, pushed a service cart into a flight attendant, and attempted to open both the cockpit door and an emergency exit door.
The situation escalated when a flight attendant struck Rivas on the head with a metal coffee pot, and passengers helped to restrain him. The pilots made an emergency landing in Kansas City, where Rivas was taken into custody.
In January, Rivas pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with a flight crew. Prosecutors mentioned that Rivas had two prior convictions, including one for assaulting a spouse or ex-spouse. He also faces a charge of assaulting a law enforcement officer in Missouri.
