A California woman who punched a Southwest Airlines flight attendant in the face pleaded guilty this week to a felony charge.
Vyvianna M. Quinonez, of Sacramento, pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to interfering with a Southwest Airlines flight attendant. Per plea agreement admissions cited in a DOJ-shared press release, Quinonez was a passenger on a May 23 flight from Sacramento International Airport to San Diego International Airport. During final descent, she was “not wearing her facemask properly” and had also undone her seat belt and pulled her tray table down. All three of these actions mark federal rules and regulations violations.
When a flight attendant asked that she remedy these violations by simply fastening the seat belt, putting away the table, and properly wearing her facemask, Quinonez instead started filming the flight attendant. Later, she pushed the flight attendant as another passenger started filming the incident. Quinonez herself has now admitted to having punched the flight attendant in the face “with a closed fist,” as well as to grabbing the flight attendant’s hair.
“The flight attendant who was assaulted was simply doing her job to ensure the safety of all passengers aboard the plane,” Randy Grossman, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California, said Wednesday. “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. 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.”
As for the flight attendant, three of her teeth were chipped due to being punched, with two of them ultimately having to be replaced by crowns. Furthermore, she was required to get stitches for a cut under one eye.
The maximum penalty for the charge of interference with flight crew members and attendants is 20 years behind bars and a $250,000 fine. According to San Diego-based KGTV, however, a total sentence of 10 months (four in custody and six in home confinement) will likely be recommended by prosecutors. Quinonez, 28, is currently scheduled to be sentenced in March.
Reached by Complex for comment on Thursday morning, a Southwest rep offered the following:
“We appreciate the efforts of federal and local authorities working to bring this case to justice. Southwest Airlines has a zero tolerance policy when it comes to physical or verbal abuse against its employees.”
