Man who tried to open plane door makes bizarre comments in court, sent for mental evaluation
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The case of a United Airlines passenger, who tried to open an airplane door midair and then stabbed a flight attendant with a broken spoon, has only taken a much more peculiar turn. Francisco Severo Torres, 33, who had been tackled by fellow passengers after his outburst on the Boston to LA flight on March 5 has now displayed very odd behaviour at his bail hearing, leading to him being led out of the court for a mental evaluation. When asked about his feral behaviour on the plane - he had tried to open a plane door mid-flight, and stab a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon - he had weirdly admitted, “The God, the Son and the Holy Spirit say that I should.”
Torres did not stop there, as he continued to spew out unintelligible statements until he was dragged out of the courtroom on March 9. “My name is still Balthazar,” he said and then went on to add, “I was renamed by God.” Keeping in mind his bizarre behaviour, the judge ordered that Torres be taken to a mental health evaluation, while the hearing has been postponed until he is cleared and checked out. “A number of statements suggest that Mr. Torres has mental health issues,” federal prosecutor Elianna Nuzum said, according to the New York Post.
READ MORE
Panic grips flight as passenger dies despite frantic effort by Jet2 cabin crew to give him CPR
Passenger restrained mid-air on flight after banging on cockpit door
Torres’ erratic behaviour matched his actions mid-air
While aboard the plane, Torres had taken to threatening fellow passengers while claiming to be ready to “kill every man on this plane,” and also proclaiming that he was “taking over this plane.” Following the bizarre statements, the man went on to launch himself at the flight attendant. He was held down by the fellow passengers for the final half hour of the flight, after they tackled him. One of the passengers had said that while he managed to escape the zip tie that they had used to restrain him, the passengers kept him subdued till the end of the flight.
A history of mental health issues
Prior to his publicized outburst on the plane, Torres is said to have been a regular fixture in multiple mental health facilities. It has also been reported that law enforcement has responded to many calls involving the man over family issues and mental distress. Only last year, Torres had been found outside his home dressed in nothing but underwear, claiming to be protesting climate change. Later, he had visited a barbershop where he said he hoped to “die tonight at midnight.”