KANSAS CITY, MO (KCTV) – A man who is accused of causing a flight from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. to be diverted to Kansas City, is facing additional charges. Platte County prosecutors charged Juan R. Rivas with second degree assault – special victim and escape or attempted escape from custody while under arrest for a felony.
Rivas is currently facing a federal charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants. On February 13th, police responded to an inflight disturbance that diverted an American Airlines flight.
Investigators say when they arrived, they saw Rivas lying on the aircraft floor near the cockpit with his hands restrained behind his back and his feet duct-taped together. He was taken into custody.
An attendant told police Rivas stated that there were, “people on the airplane who wanted to hurt him” and requested to speak to the captain of the aircraft. The attendant told police Rivas took a plastic knife and tucked it under his shirt and grabbed a wine bottle and attempted to strike another member of the flight crew. The attendant said Rivas then tried to open the cockpit door of the aircraft and an emergency exit door while in flight.
Rivas was eventually subdued by several passengers on the flight until the aircraft was able to land and law enforcement could arrive. While taking Rivas was being escorted to a law enforcement vehicle, police say Rivas began fighting with officers and tried to grab an officer’s firearm.
Rivas reportedly said in Spanish that he was going to “grab a gun and escape.” Two officers reported injuries from the struggle to take Rivas into custody.
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