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US woman pleads guilty to beating up flight attendant in mask dispute

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Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES, United States - A California woman has pleaded guilty to punching a flight attendant in the face -- bruising her and chipping three of her teeth -- during an argument over mask wearing and other air safety requirements.Vyvianna Quinonez, a 28-year-old resident of Sacramento, had initially claimed she was acting in self-defense, before accepting Wednesday the federal charge of &quot;interference&quot; of a flight, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.The incident took place on May 23, when Quinonez&#x27;s Southwest flight began its descent into Sacramento, according to the plea agreement.The flight attendant requested Quinonez to fasten her seatbelt, stow her tray-table and to reposition her mask so that it covered her mouth and nose.In response, Quinonez pushed the flight attendant and then began &quot;punching her in the face and head with a closed fist and grabbing her hair,&quot; the agreement stated.According to court documents, she then told police officers who came aboard for her arrest that she was only acting in self-defense -- a fact rebutted by other passengers&#x27; videos.&quot;The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane,&quot; said Randy Grossman, a federal prosecutor in California.The prosecutor&#x27;s office said it intends to ask for a jail sentence of four months plus six months of house arrest.Quinonez will also be banned from flying for three years.&quot;We appreciate the efforts of federal and local authorities working to bring this case to justice,&quot; said Southwest Airlines in a statement to AFP.&quot;Southwest Airlines has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to physical or verbal abuse against its Employees.&quot;Incidents involving agitated or violent passengers have risen sharply in the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, largely fueled by individuals&#x27; refusal to wear a mask.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/09/24/21/new-action-on-unruly-passengers-in-us-urged">Share ‘no fly’ lists? Lawmakers, air industry call for new action on unruly passengers in US</a></li></ul>Last week, a man was forced to disembark a flight in Florida for wearing a red thong as a face mask.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/classified-odd/12/17/21/man-wearing-thong-as-face-mask-forced-off-us-flight">Man wearing thong as face mask forced off US flight</a></li></ul>According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), more than 5,664 incidents were reported in 2021, of which more than 4,000 were mask-related.As of August 2021, the FAA had recommended over $1 million in fines for unruly passengers. ban/des/md© Agence France-Presse<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1855977" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>

A California woman has pleaded guilty to punching a flight attendant in the face -- bruising her and chipping three of her teeth -- during an argument over mask wearing.