In May 2021, a Southwest Airlines flight attendant was assaulted mid-flight.
It happened on a flight from Sacramento to San Diego.
One of the flight attendants instructed the passengers to buckle their seatbelts and put away their tray tables — but one passenger seated toward the back of the plane did not want to comply.
Vyvianna Quinonez, 28, allegedly grew angry when she was told to follow the safety guidelines. She and the flight attendant reportedly exchanged some words before things turned physical.
One passenger said he heard the flight attendant tell the woman not to touch her. That's when Quinonez allegedly punched the flight attendant square in the face, knocking out two of her teeth and leaving her bloodied in the back of the plane.
The flight attendant was taken off the plane in a wheelchair.
The president of the flight attendants' union said this is just one of the many instances of a recent uptick in "unruly behavior by airline passengers."
Quinonez initially claimed that the assault was an act of self-defense.
She later changed her tune.
In December 2021, Quinonez pleaded guilty to a federal count of interfering with flight crew members and attendants. Four months in prison and six months of home confinement was the woman's recommended sentence. The flight attendant needed crowns for her chipped teeth as well as stitches to her face.
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