A Frontier Airlines passenger on a flight from Orange County to San Francisco has been accused of attempting to choke a flight attendant and repeatedly kicking another crew member during a terrifying mid-brawl in which he managed to break out of two sets of flex cuffs and had to be restrained with a seatbelt.
Charles Angel Salva, 30, of Fremont, has been charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants and, if found guilty, could face up to 20 years in federal prison plus a $250,000 fine following the incident on Wednesday.
According to an affidavit filed in a California court, Salva was a passenger on Frontier flight 3581 on September 9 which was forced to divert to Ontario Airport due to his violent and unruly behavior.
Salva first came to the attention of flight attendants as the plane was still in its initial ascent following takeoff when they noticed that the oxygen masks above his row of seats had dropped down.
The flight attendants went to investigate what had happened and found Salva with his hand in the overhead compartment where the oxygen masks drop down from. One of Salva’s seatmates told the flight attendants that Salva appeared claustrophobic and had pulled down on the oxygen mask cover.
In doing so, Salva ended up getting his hand stuck in the compartment, at which point the flight attendants found him.
According to initial eyewitness accounts, Salvo appeared sweaty and out of breath and then started to shout obscenities, including making alarming remarks such as: “We are all going to hell” and “this airplane is going down”.
Salva then allegedly tried to “violently” grab at other passengers before sprinting towards the back of the plane. The flight attendants chased after him and attempted to restrain Salvo, at which point he attempted to choke one of the crew members with her ID lanyard and pushed the other crew member forcibly in the chest.
The flight attendant was able to free herself from Salva’s grip, but he continued to struggle as he threatened to kill everyone onboard.
One of the flight attendants told the FBI that she ran to the back of the plane to tell the pilots what was happening and to grab flex cuffs, and when she returned, Salvo had flown into a “violent, uncontrollable rage” as the crew members and multiple passengers jumped in to try and restrain him.
During the melee, Salva managed to kick the other flight attendant at least six times in her right calf, leaving her with bruising and swelling, and she was later taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
Salva reportedly managed to break out of two sets of flex cuffs and in the end, passengers managed to successfully restrain him with a third set of flex cuffs and an extension seatbelt.
As the violence continued in the cabin, the Captain was forced to make an emergency diversion to Ontario Airport, where local law enforcement escorted him off the plane.
At this point, Salva seemed incoherent, and he was restrained on a gurney with softcuffs before being transported to the hospital.
While being interviewed by police, Salva admitted to taking ecstasy shortly before boarding the flight and said that he had wanted to kill everyone on the plane. He also admitted to assaulting the two flight attendants and damaging the compartment containing the oxygen masks.
Prosecutors have asked for Salva to remain in federal custody until his trial.
He took drugs and caused this?
His choice. He did the crime? Let him do the time.
Lock him for a life sentence without parole,
for attempted murder X each person on the plane.