'Blood everywhere': Man stabs fellow passenger with makeshift weapon during Alaska Airlines flight because 'mafia' was chasing him

A man aboard a recent Alaska Airlines flight constructed a makeshift weapon to stab a fellow passenger, according to multiple reports. The suspect allegedly said that he needed to protect himself because the "mafia had been chasing him."

The bloody stabbing took place during an Alaska Airlines flight traveling from Seattle to Las Vegas on Jan. 24, 2024.

Julio Alvarez Lopez was described as acting “fidgety” throughout the flight, according to the New York Post. He also repeatedly put on and removed his gloves and went to the bathroom for lengthy amounts of time during the plane's initial descent, the outlet reported.

While returning to his seat, Lopez allegedly began punching and hitting a fellow passenger seated across the aisle from him.

The suspect reportedly constructed a makeshift weapon comprised of pens wrapped together with rubber bands. Lopez is accused of using the improvised weapon in an attempt to stab the male passenger.

During the alleged attack, Lopez is said to have hit the victim's wife as she shielded her 7-year-old son from the crazed assault.

KLAS-TV reported, "The witness told investigators there 'was blood everywhere.' After the attack, Lopez started screaming, ‘I’ll only talk to the FBI,' documents said."

The victim survived the attack but was severely injured.

There was a law enforcement officer aboard the plane who ordered Lopez to sit down in an empty seat as the flight crew "worked to provide flex cuffs and the defendant was restrained for the remainder of the flight," according to court documents.

Lopez reportedly told law enforcement that he "felt the mafia had been chasing him the last few months."

The suspect "admitted to never seeing" the victim before the violent incident "but planned on attacking and killing him" because he believed the man was part of a cartel.

Lopez allegedly told the FBI that "he intended to kill" the victim and that he "had created the weapon he used" in the attack.

Alaska Airlines confirmed "an altercation between two passengers" on Flight 604 on Jan. 24

"The incident happened as the aircraft was on descent for arrival in Las Vegas. The aircraft landed safely, and law enforcement took one passenger into custody after the plane arrived at the gate," the statement read. "We’re thankful for our crew for their professionalism in the handling of the incident."

Lopez was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon following his arrest at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. On Wednesday, Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury on the assault charge.

Lopez is scheduled to return to court on March 1.

FBI arrests man for allegedly stabbing passenger on Las Vegas-bound flightwww.youtube.com

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