Female tourist has to go to jail for punching and breaking a flight attendant’s tooth

Vyvianna Quinonez, 29, was ordered by a federal judge in San Diego to pay nearly $26,000 and a fine $7,500 for assault on a Southwest Airlines domestic flight on May 23, 2021 between Sacramento and Sacramento. San Diego.

This woman from Sacramento, California will be banned from flying for three years after being released from prison on condition of supervision. In addition, she must attend classes or counseling on anger management.

Last year, this female tourist pleaded guilty to physically assaulting crew members and flight attendants. The 29-year-old admitted to punching the flight attendant in the face and head with her fists and grabbing her hair. Neither she nor her attorney could be reached for comment on the day of the trial.

According to the investigative report, during the last landing of the flight, the flight attendant asked Quinonez to fasten his seat belt, arrange the tray table and wear a mask properly.

However, female tourist Quinonez began recording the waiter on her mobile phone, shoving and then standing up and punching the flight attendant in the face and hair before other passengers intervened. The assault was recorded in its entirety on a passenger’s cell phone during the flight.

According to the report, the flight attendant suffered three chipped teeth, two of which required dental intervention, along with bruises and a cut under her left eye that needed stitches.

“Assaults on crew members, who carry out vital missions to ensure the safety of passengers, will not be tolerated,” Attorney Randy Grossman said after sentencing.

FBI special agent Stacey Moy said the sentence should “send a very strong message to the people on the plane, the FBI will be aggressively hunting anyone who assaults or interferes with the crew”.

The incident is a small part of an escalation in violent behavior by airline passengers amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The consecutive incidents caused the president of the American Federation of Flight Attendants to request that more federal air police chiefs be on the plane.

Airlines in 2021 reported more than 5,000 unruly passenger incidents to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA said most passengers refused to comply with federal requirements for passengers to wear masks when boarding, including more than 300 people who also attacked the crew because they were drunk.