A California man has been arrested after he allegedly choked and kicked multiple people. Frontier Airlines Federal prosecutors said people on board the plane yelled at flight attendants, saying “this plane is going down,” as the plane crashed in mid-air.
Charles Angel Salva, 30, is accused of attacking the crew shortly after taking off on a flight from Santa Ana to San Francisco on Monday, according to a complaint filed in federal court.
Salva, who had spent the weekend at Disneyland with his 3-year-old daughter, claimed to investigators after the incident that he was a “child molester” and that he committed the attack because he feared people on the plane were “trying to get him to confess.”
The chaotic situation occurred when Salva allegedly stood up and tried to remove his oxygen mask from the overhead compartment while the seat belt sign was still on, officials said.
According to the complaint, when flight attendants went to check on him, Salva began using obscenities and yelling: “We're all going to hell” and “This plane is going down.”
He then reportedly grabbed fellow passengers and ran to the back of the plane, where flight attendants tried to stop him.
The filing said Salva strangled a crew member, leaving two bruises on the victim's neck, while flight attendants and other passengers tried to restrain him.
He also reportedly injured another flight attendant by kicking her on the leg approximately six times amid the chaos.
The complaint alleges that the enraged passenger, who at one point allegedly yelled that he was going to kill everyone, managed to break through his flex cuffs and eventually had to be restrained by a seat belt.
According to federal authorities, the plane was eventually diverted to Ontario International Airport because flight attendants did not feel safe putting Salva back in his seat.
The complaint said Salva was taken off the plane by police, but he later claimed to police that he had taken ecstasy before boarding the plane.
He has since been charged with interfering with flight crew members and flight attendants. If convicted, Salva could face up to 20 years in federal prison.
