Passenger assaults attendant, jumps out of plane in CA, feds say. He’s going to prison

A 34-year-old man is going to prison after being accused of assaulting a flight attendant and jumping out of a plane, federal officials said.

Luis Armando Victoria Dominguez, of La Paz, Mexico, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison on Jan. 26, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Central District of California said in a news release.

He pleaded guilty to one count of interference with flight crew members and flight attendant in October after prosecutors said he “assaulted a flight attendant and endangered the lives of countless others.”

On June 25, 2021, Dominguez got out of his seat while on a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City, a federal investigator said in the criminal complaint.

The plane was beginning to taxi for takeoff as he banged on the cockpit’s door multiple times, court documents show, before jumping out of the emergency exit door.

The escape slide partially deployed when he opened the door but he jumped directly onto the tarmac, breaking his leg, documents show. Police arrested him on the tarmac.

A defense attorney for Dominguez did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.

Dominguez told authorities he smoked $20 worth of meth — which he described as “a lot” — in the days leading up to his flight, the complaint shows.

When he sat down in the plane, he said he heard the passengers behind him say the flight wasn’t going to Salt Lake City, court documents show.

He panicked, got out of his seat and tried to have the flight attendants let him off the plane, but they wouldn’t, the complaint says.

He then found the emergency exit door and jumped out of the plane, which was about to takeoff, court documents show.

Then airport police arrested him and took him to the hospital, documents show.

In addition to 18 months in prison, Dominguez was ordered to pay $20,132 in restitution.

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