Julio Alvarez Lopez pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon after stabbing another passenger on an Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle, Washington, to Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to prosecutors, Lopez used three pens bound together with hair bands to punch, hit, and stab another passenger on January 24, 2024.
The victim’s body and eye area were injured, and the victim did require stitches, the U.S. Attorney’s Office added.
After Lopez stopped stabbing the victim, he began walking towards the front of the aircraft before being restrained for the remainder of the flight.
The flight landed at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where Lopez was taken into custody by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.
During an interview, Lopez waived his Miranda rights and admitted to arming himself with the homemade weapon.
He further stated that he selected the victim because he believed the victim had been looking at him in a harassing way, and he was trying to murder the victim by shoving the homemade weapon into the victim’s brain.
Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22.
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