Man Pleads Guilty to Stabbing Passenger During Flight to Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS - A man granted legal permanent resident status in 2018 from Mexico pleaded guilty on Tuesday to stabbing another passenger on a flight from Seattle, Washington, to Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 24, 2024, Julio Alvarez Lopez, punched, hit, and stabbed another passenger on a flight with a dangerous homemade weapon, consisting of three pens bound together with hair bands. The victim suffered injuries to the body and eye area, requiring stitches. After Lopez stopped stabbing the victim, he began walking towards the front of the aircraft and was restrained for the remainder of the flight.

The flight landed at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Lopez was taken into custody by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. During an interview in which Lopez waived his Miranda rights, he admitted that he armed himself with his homemade weapon, selected the victim because the victim had been looking at him in a harassing way, and attempted to murder the victim by shoving the homemade weapon into the victim's brain.

Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. He is scheduled to be sentenced on September 22, 2026. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada, Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office, and Supervisory Air Marshal in Charge Garrett Donaldson - LE/FAMS Las Vegas Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI, Federal Air Marshal Service, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brenna Bush is prosecuting the case.

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