Passenger attacked while sleeping on flight: "His face was bruised and bloody"

A man connected a cross-country United Airlines formation violently attacked a sleeping passenger, punching him many times successful nan look until it was bloody, authorities said. A witnesser said nan man who was attacked is deaf and nonverbal.

Authorities identified nan fishy arsenic Everett Chad Nelson, according to an affidavit from an FBI agent.

The incident unfolded Monday connected United Flight 2247 astir 2 hours aft it took disconnected from San Francisco International Airport for Washington Dulles International Airport successful Virginia.

Nelson sewage up from spot 35F toward nan backmost of nan Boeing 737 and went to nan lavatory adjacent nan beforehand of nan plane, according to nan affidavit. When he was returning to his seat, he stopped astatine spot 12F and started punching nan man who was sleeping there, according to nan affidavit, which didn't place nan victim.

Sandhya Gupta, who was sitting down nan sleeping man, watched nan onslaught unfold.

"I will not hide nan look successful his eyes," Gupta told CBS News. "I had not seen a look from anyone's eyes for illustration that. It was for illustration he was seeing done nan victim."

According to nan FBI affidavit, nan onslaught lasted astir a minute. The man screamed arsenic Nelson kept hitting him and his humor was seen connected nan sleeves of Nelson's windbreaker, a adjacent spot and connected nan plane's wall and window, according to nan affidavit.

"I really wondered does this feline person a limb because I didn't recognize you could do truthful overmuch harm pinch conscionable your fists," Gupta told CBS News. "... His look was bruised and bloody."

Another rider rushed up nan aisle and wrapped his arms astir Nelson to extremity him, Gupta said.

"He didn't conflict nan personification who came to subdue him," Gupta said. "It was for illustration powering disconnected a robot."

A expert connected nan formation ran toward nan man who was attacked and started administering first aid, Gupta said. She said she realized he was deaf and nonverbal erstwhile he started signing astatine nan group helping him.

According to nan affidavit, nan man sustained bruising to his eyes and a gash connected his nose. Nelson didn't look to beryllium injured, and location wasn't immoderate denotation that nan man fought back, according to nan affidavit.

Nelson was taken to a spot toward nan beforehand of nan level and monitored by nan rider who stopped nan attack, according to nan affidavit. Gupta said he wasn't restrained aft nan attack.

"He conscionable went limp," Gupta said.

In a statement, United praised nan guidance of nan rider and crew.

"Thanks to nan speedy action of our unit and customers, 1 rider was restrained aft becoming physically fierce toward different customer connected a formation from San Francisco to Washington Dulles connected Monday. The formation landed safely and was met by paramedics and section rule enforcement," nan hose said.

Gupta said a flight attendant told her that Nelson claimed nan man had attacked him successful nan thoroughfare earlier. 

"He kept texting, 'I'm innocent,'" Gupta said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said successful a connection it was investigating nan incident. According to nan agency, airlines person reported complete 1,740 unruly rider incidents this twelvemonth and that specified incidents person dropped from nan grounds highs reached successful early 2021.

Kathryn Krupnik and Ryan Sprouse contributed reporting.

In:
• San Francisco International Airport
• Dulles International Airport
• United Airlines