SAN DIEGO – A California woman who punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face while breaking her teeth was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison.
Viviana Kinones was also sentenced on Tuesday by a federal judge in San Diego to pay restitution of nearly $ 26,000 and a fine of $ 7,500 for the May 23, 2021 attack on a flight southwest between Sacramento and San Diego.
The 29-year-old Sacramento woman has been banned from flying for three years while at large under supervision and must attend anger management classes or counseling.
Last year, Quinonez pleaded guilty to one count of interfering with crew members and escorts, admitting that she hit the flight attendant in the face and head with clenched fists and grabbed her by the hair. Neither she nor her lawyer were found to comment on Tuesday.
During the last descent, the attendant asked Kinones to fasten his seat belt, put away his table, and put on his face mask properly.
Instead, Kinones began recording the companion on his cell phone, pushed her, then stood up and punched the woman in the face and grabbed her by the hair before other passengers intervened, authorities said.
The attack was recorded on another passenger’s mobile phone.
The plea agreement says the flight attendant received three cracked teeth, two of which needed crowns, along with bruises and cuts under her left eye that needed stitches.
“Attacks on flight crew members who perform vital tasks to ensure the safety of passengers will not be tolerated,” US Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement after the sentencing.
FBI Special Agent in charge Stacy Moy said the verdict should “send a very strong message to air passengers – the FBI will vigorously pursue anyone who attacks or obstructs flight crews.”
The incident was part of an escalation of airline passengers ‘rebellious behavior amid the coronavirus pandemic and prompted the president of the flight attendants’ union to demand more federal air marshals on the planes.
In 2021, airlines reported more than 5,000 incidents with disobedient passengers to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Most are passengers who refuse to comply with federal requirements for passengers to wear face masks while on airplanes, but nearly 300 were intoxicated passengers, the FAA said.
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