MID-AIR CARNAGE
Woman faces 20 YEARS in prison as viral video shows her knocking out flight attendant’s teeth
A PLANE passenger who knocked out a flight attendant's teeth during a row over wearing a face mask faces a 20-year prison sentence.
Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, from Sacramento, flew into a rage and punched the stewardess in the face and pulled her hair as the Southwest Airlines plane was about to land in San Diego, California.
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The flight attendant was assaulted last May after asking Quinonez to buckle her seatbelt, stow her tray table, and wear her mask properly as the flight was on its final descent.
But in response, Quinonez pushed the flight attendant and then began punching her in the face and head with a closed fist and grabbing her hair.
Cops at San Diego International Airport arrested her and she was taken into custody.
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' videos.
Federal prosecutor Randy Grossman said: "The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane.”
The prosecutor's office said it intends to ask for a jail sentence of four months plus six months of house arrest.
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Quinonez will also be banned from flying for three years.
The cabin crew member's union reported that she had lost two teeth during the "assault".
She was taken to hospital for treatment.
A Southwest Airlines spokesperson said: "We appreciate the efforts of federal and local authorities working to bring this case to justice.
"Southwest Airlines has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to physical or verbal abuse against its employees."
Incidents involving agitated or violent passengers have risen sharply in the United States since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This has been largely fueled by individuals' refusal to wear a mask.
Last week, a man was forced to disembark a flight in Florida for wearing a red thong as a face mask.
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, the FAA had recommended over $1 million in fines for unruly passengers.
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United Airlines passenger who wore THONG on his face instead of mask as he’s kicked off flight did it ’20 times before’
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