A man has been accused of brutally assaulting a deaf and non-verbal passenger in an unprovoked attack mid-flight.
Everett Chad Nelson, 44, is charged with assault by beating, beating or wounding following the alleged incident on a Virginia-bound flight from San Francisco.
Nelson is accused of leaving his victim, an unnamed passenger who was deaf and non-verbal, with blood coming from a cut on his nose and bruises around both eyes.
The incident allegedly occurred as Nelson was returning to his seat from the bathroom.
He allegedly stopped on the 12th floor, where the victim was sleeping, and began attacking him without provocation.
Everett Chad Nelson, 44, is charged with assault by beating, beating or wounding following the alleged incident on a Virginia-bound flight from San Francisco.
A court record states that the alleged victim woke up screaming. There was blood splattered on the seat and window, as well as on Nelson’s coat.
Sandhya Gupta, who was sitting behind the victim and witnessed the alleged assault, said ABC 7 News He heard “blood-curdling screams.”
“I was hitting very violently and very aggressively at the guy in the window seat in front of me and it was cruel,” he said.
“When he tried to communicate with us in sign language, we realized he was deaf and non-verbal.”
United Airlines said in a statement that a “disruption” occurred on board that was handled by the crew and passengers.
Sandhya Gupta, who was sitting in a row behind the victim and witnessed the alleged assault, said she heard “blood-curdling screams.”
A good Samaritan intervened and pulled Nelson away from the distraught victim. The victim allegedly contacted staff by typing on her phone.
According to Gupta, the messages repeatedly said “I am very scared.”
It is unclear what sparked the incident.
United Airlines said in a statement that there was a “disturbance” on board that was resolved by the crew and passengers.
“A passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles on Monday,” a United spokesperson said in a statement.
“The flight landed safely and was met by local paramedics and law enforcement.”