US Man Charged After Violently Attacking Nonverbal, Deaf Passenger Mid-Air

A man in the United States violently attacked a deaf and nonverbal passenger while he was sleeping until the cabin was spattered with blood on a United Airlines flight last week. According to the New York Post, the incident took place on Monday aboard a United Airlines Flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles. Authorities identified the suspect as 44-year-old Everett Chal Nelson. The incident unfolded when Mr Nelson got up to use the bathroom. When he was returning to his seat, he stopped at seat 12F and started punching the man who was sleeping there, according to the affidavit, which didn't identify the victim. 

The 44-year-old stopped at seat 12F and "without notice, began physically attacking a sleeping male passenger by punching him repeatedly in the face and head until blood was drawn," the complaint states, per the Post. "The next thing I know, I just hear these blood-curdling screams," Sandhya Gupta, who was sitting a row behind the victim, told ABC 7 News.

"He was just very violently and very aggressively just pummeling the guy who was in the window seat who was in front of me and it was vicious. This wasn't like a barroom, 'I'm going to throw a couple of punches around,' I mean this was vicious," she said. 

According to the officials, Mr Nelson punched the defenceless man's face for a full minute. He stopped the attack after another passenger rushed up the aisle and wrapped his arms around him. 

The complaint states that Mr Nelson split the man's nose open, causing blood to splash all over his seat, the cabin wall and the window. The victim was left with two black eyes. 

After the two were separated, a doctor onboard treated the man for his injuries - which is when passengers and the crew discovered the man could not speak or hear. "When he was trying to communicate with us in sign language, that's when we realised he was deaf and non-verbal," Ms Gupta said. 

The victim communicated with the crew through phone messages. "He also just kept texting, 'I'm so scared'. Like it was just awful," the plane passenger added. 

Mr Nelson escaped unscathed and "there was no indication that (the alleged victim) struck him in defence," the complaint says, per the outlet. Flight attendants moved the suspect to a seat up front and put the same man who got involved in charge of keeping watch over him until the plane landed. 

The motive behind the violent attack is not known. It is also not clear whether the two men had any prior relationship before the attack. 

Also Read | American Airlines Plane Diverted Due To "Noise In Cargo". Here's What Happened

The TSA contacted the FBI mid-flight and indicated there was a "Level 2 disturbance" onboard, which constitutes "physically abusive behaviour," according to the Federal Aviation Administration. That places the incident a step above "Level 1," which is "disruptive behaviour" but before "Level 3," which is an "attempted or actual breach of the flight deck."

"Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday," a United Airlines spokesperson said in a statement, adding, "The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement."

Mr Nelson has been charged with one count of assault by beating, striking, and wounding in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the US. If convicted, he could face up to a year in prison.