A Mexican national, who gained lawful permanent residency in 2018, pleaded guilty to assault on a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas. Julio Alvarez Lopez admitted to trying to stab a fellow passenger through the eye with three pens bound together with hairbands. The assault took place about 30 minutes before landing, according to federal prosecutors.
Witnesses reported Lopez left his seat to visit the restroom, then returned and attacked the passenger opposite him. Reports described the scene as having ‘blood everywhere,’ with the victim’s wife attempting to protect their son during the chaos. Witnesses and investigators detailed Lopez walking up the aisle, demanding only to speak with the FBI.
“I planned on attacking and killing him,” Lopez confessed during an investigation.
Federal authorities revealed Lopez created the weapon before the flight by bundling three pens with hairbands. A law enforcement officer on the flight ordered him to sit, and passengers restrained him using flex cuffs until landing. Once the flight landed at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, police detained Lopez.
Lopez confessed to making the pen weapon due to suspicions that the victim was following him and alleged ties to the cartel. Though Lopez had never seen the victim, identified as C.R., before, he planned the attack, believing C.R. was the cartel and was pursuing him. Lopez sustained a conviction for one count of assault with a dangerous weapon related to the January 24, 2024, incident.
Witnesses noticed Lopez’s strange behavior before the attack. They described him as fidgety, removing and replacing gloves, and frequently accessing his backpack. One witness noted his “gray/white hair tied in a bun” and sweatshirt attire. The complaint records Lopez mentioning his asylum quest in the U.S., stating he feared the mafia had pursued him for months.
Lopez is set for sentencing on September 22. Jasmine Baehr reports for Fox News Digital, covering news in politics, military, legal debates on life and family policy, and faith and culture.