Sacramento-area woman pleads guilty to punching Southwest attendant on San Diego flight
A Sacramento County woman on Wednesday pleaded guilty in federal court to punching a Southwest Airlines flight attendant after she was told to fasten her seat belt, stow her tray table and wear her face mask properly, prosecutors said.
Vyvianna M. Quinonez, 28, of Antelope pleaded guilty to a charge of interfering with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in San Diego. Her conviction was the result of a plea agreement with prosecutors.
Initially, Quinonez was charged in federal court with one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of interfering with a flight crew, both felonies.
Quinonez is scheduled to return March 11 to be sentenced in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California. Prosecutors said she faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The reported assault occurred May 23 on Southwest Airlines Flight 700 from Sacramento International Airport to San Diego International Airport, according to the charging document.
As the flight was on its final descent, Quinonez was not wearing her face mask properly, unbuckled her seat belt and pulled down her tray table, which were all violations of federal rules and regulations, prosecutors said of Quinonez’s admissions in her plea agreement.
The flight attendant asked Quinonez to fasten her seat belt, stow her tray table and wear her face mask properly, prosecutors said. Quinonez instead began recording the flight attendant on her cellphone. Quinonez admitted she then pushed the flight attendant, before another passenger began recording the confrontation on her cellphone, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Quinonez admitted that she stood up and assaulted the flight attendant by punching her in the face and head with a closed fist and grabbing her hair,” according to the news release.
Prosecutors said several other passengers tried to stop Quinonez by grabbing at her clothes and arms; a male passenger sitting nearby jumped in between Quinonez and the flight attendant, and he instructed Quinonez to sit down.
The Southwest flight attendant suffered several injuries in the assault and was taken to the hospital, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. The flight attendant had three teeth that were chipped and two of the teeth were later replaced by crowns. Prosecutors said her left eye was bruised and swollen, she suffered a cut under her left eye that required three stitches and she had a bruise in the shape of fingers on her right forearm.
After the assault, the flight’s captain delayed taxiing the plane to the gate to wait for law enforcement officers to respond.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Randy Grossman said the flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers.
“It’s inexcusable for anyone to use violence on an airplane for any reason, particularly toward a flight attendant who is there to keep all the passengers safe,” Grossman said in the news release. “We are not going to tolerate violence or interference with the flight crew, and we will pursue criminal charges against those who break the law.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 6:43 PM.
