Man who forced emergency landing at Kansas City airport now charged with assault
A California man who is already facing a federal charge for allegedly trying to force his way into a cockpit of an airplane last month now faces two charges in Platte County.
Juan Remberto Rivas, 50, was charged Tuesday with second-degree assault of a special victim and escape or attempted escape from custody while under arrest.
The charging documents filed in Platte County provide more details about what took place Feb. 13 aboard American Airlines Flight 1775 from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. A flight attendant on the plane said Rivas was in the back of the aircraft when he told the attendant there were people on the plane who wanted to hurt him. Rivas requested to speak to the captain.
Court document said Rivas then began to argue and tucked a plastic knife under his shirt. He also allegedly grabbed a wine bottle and tried hitting another flight crew member, the documents said.
After trying to enter the cockpit and open an emergency exit door as the plane was in flight, passengers subdued Rivas.
Once the plane made the unplanned landing at KCI, officers escorted Rivas to a patrol car, but as they attempted to adjust his handcuffs, he broke free from the left one, pushed officers and tried to escape.
As police tried to restrain him, Rivas allegedly attempted to grab an officer’s handgun and remove it from the holster. The officer tased Rivas, but it did not affect him, charging documents said.
Other officers arrived and helped secure Rivas. He was booked into to the Platte County Detention Center. A defense attorney for Rivas was not listed in court records.
On Feb. 14, he was charged in federal court with one felony count of interference with a flight attendant.
If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment for the federal offense. According to an affidavit written by an FBI agent, passengers and flight staff told authorities Rivas allegedly said he wanted to “bring down the plane.”
The airplane’s pilot told air traffic controllers someone was, “trying to get in the cockpit,” while requesting permission to divert to Kansas City International Airport.
