Deaf, nonverbal passenger attacked on United flight to Dulles

DULLES, Va. — A Virginia district court has charged a United Airlines passenger with assault after a sleeping man was beaten on a Monday flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles. A witness said that the victim of the attack was deaf and nonverbal. 

Everett Nelson was identified in a Virginia District Court document featuring an FBI accounting of the assault. Everett allegedly made an unprovoked attack midflight on a sleeping passenger who had been seated in a different section of the plane. 

"Nelson exited the lavatory, stopped at seat 12F, and without notice began physically attacking a sleeping male passenger by punching him repeatedly in the face and head until blood was drawn," the FBI report reads. "(The victim) sustained bruising on his eyes and a gash on his nose. Blood splatter from (his) face and head were observed on the sleeves of Nelson's lime green windbreaker coat." 

The victim of the assault appeared to be deaf and nonverbal, according to Sandhya Gupta who sat in the row behind the attack. Gupta said the passenger used sign language toward people helping him, according to a CBS News report.

According to Gupta, the attack ended as abruptly as it started with Nelson immediately relenting as soon as he was confronted by another passenger. 

"He didn't fight the person who came to subdue him," Gupta said.

The alleged attacker wasn't restrained after the attack and was taken to the front of the plane and monitored until the flight landed in Dulles.  

United Airlines airline praised those who stopped the attack. 

"Thanks to the quick action of our crew and customers, one passenger was restrained after becoming physically aggressive toward another customer on a flight from San Francisco to Washington Dulles," The airline told CBS News. "The flight landed safely and was met by paramedics and local law enforcement."

Gupta said the alleged attacker Nelson claimed that the sleeping passenger had attacked him on the street before the flight. 

"Multiple passengers witnessed Nelson assault (the victim)," The FBI affidavit reads, identifying the passenger as V-1. "Witnesses observed blood on the seat ... and on the wall and window. Nelson had no observable injuries and there was no indication that V-1 struck him in defense." 

Gupta was surprised by how bloody the attack was.  

"I actually wondered 'does this guy have a weapon', because I didn't realize you could do so much damage with just your fists," Gupta said.