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A Mexican national who was granted lawful permanent resident status in 2018 pleaded guilty Thursday after admitting he bundled three pens together with hair bands before boarding a Seattle-to-Las Vegas flight, then tried to stab another passenger “through the eye to reach his brain,” according to federal prosecutors.
The terrifying attack unfolded about 30 minutes before the plane was scheduled to land in Las Vegas, when Julio Alvarez Lopez allegedly left his seat, walked to the restroom and, after returning, suddenly began punching, hitting and stabbing a passenger seated across the aisle, according to a federal criminal complaint obtained by Digital.
Witnesses told investigators there was “blood everywhere” as the victim’s wife screamed at Lopez to stop attacking her husband. During the struggle, the complaint says she was struck while shielding the couple’s 7-year-old son.
After the attack, Lopez “began walking towards the front of the aircraft,” according to the complaint. As he moved up the aisle, a witness told investigators Lopez repeatedly yelled, “I’ll only talk to the FBI.”
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Federal investigators say Julio Alvarez Lopez made this homemade weapon by bundling three pens together with hair bands before attacking a passenger aboard a flight. (U.S. Department of Justice)
A sworn law enforcement officer aboard the flight ordered Lopez to sit down before flight attendants provided flex cuffs and passengers restrained him for the remainder of the flight, according to the complaint.
The flight landed safely at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, where officers with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took Lopez into custody.
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Federal court records show injuries around the victim’s eye after prosecutors say he was attacked aboard a flight on Jan. 24, 2024. (U.S. Department of Justice)
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada, Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon stemming from the Jan. 24, 2024, attack.
During an interview with FBI agents and after waiving his Miranda rights, Lopez admitted he made the weapon before boarding the aircraft by bundling three pens together with hair bands.
Investigators said Lopez told them he believed the victim, identified in court documents as C.R., had been following him during the flight. Lopez also said he believed C.R. “was the Cartel” and that he was trying to get him to stop following him.
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The complaint further states Lopez told investigators he had never seen C.R. before the flight but, “planned on attacking and killing him.”
According to investigators, Lopez admitted he intended to kill the victim by stabbing him in the eye.
“I planned on attacking and killing him,” Lopez told investigators, according to the complaint.
Lopez also admitted to investigators he was trying to stab C.R. “through the eye to reach C.R.’s brain to kill him.”
According to prosecutors, the victim suffered injuries to his body and eye area that required stitches.
Court documents say witnesses noticed Lopez acting strangely before the attack. One passenger told investigators Lopez appeared “fidgety,” repeatedly put gloves on and took them off, got into his backpack several times and avoided making eye contact with other passengers.
Images released by the U.S. Department of Justice in connection with a pen knife attack on a Las Vegas flight. (U.S. Department of Justice)
A witness described Lopez as having “gray/white hair tied in a bun on the top of his head,” and wearing a sweatshirt at the time.
Another witness said Lopez stood up twice as the aircraft began descending into Las Vegas, went to the restroom, then returned to his seat before suddenly launching the attack.
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The complaint also states Lopez told investigators he was seeking asylum in the United States and believed the mafia had been chasing him for several months.
Lopez is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 22.
