Man Admits to Stabbing Passenger in Eye During Flight to Las Vegas A man has admitted to assaulting another passenger on a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas in 2024, according to a July 2026 news release from the United States District Attorney’s Nevada Office. Julio Alvarez Lopez, a permanent resident of the United States from Mexico, bound three pens together with hair bands and used the makeshift weapon to stab a passenger in the eye and body, requiring medical attention. The attack occurred during the flight, and Lopez was restrained by airline staff after the incident. Upon landing at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Lopez confessed to authorities that he had attempted to murder the victim by pushing the homemade weapon into the victim’s brain, claiming the passenger had been harassing him. The incident is not the first of its kind. In 2023, Francisco Severo Torres, a resident of Massachusetts, attempted to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles. Torres struck the attendant multiple times before being tackled and restrained by passengers. In 2025, he was sentenced to time served and five years of supervised release. The 2023 case highlights a pattern of violent behavior on flights, with both incidents involving improvised weapons and physical altercations. Lopez, who was granted permanent resident status from Mexico in 2018, was arrested by Nevada authorities and pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. His sentencing is scheduled for September 22, 2026. The case has drawn attention to the potential for violence on commercial flights, particularly when individuals use unconventional weapons.#united_airlines #julio_alvarez_lopez #united_states_district_attorney_nevada_office #harry_reid_international_airport #francisco_severo_torres
