Summary: A man on a United Airlines flight attacked a sleeping passenger, punching him repeatedly until his face was bruised and bloody. The suspect, Everett Chad Nelson, claimed the victim had attacked him earlier, but a witness stated Nelson’s attack lasted about a minute and the victim did not fight back. The FAA is investigating the incident, which is one of over 1,700 unruly passenger incidents reported this year.
A day or so after I first read about this, I saw The Independent’s coverage of the same story. They dug into the assailant’s background and he turns out to be the leader of an Ayahuasca (plant-based shamanic psychedelic) ‘church’ in Florida.
They also gave further confirmation that the attack appeared to be completely unprovoked, and that there was no known relationship between the attacker and victim, nor did they even seem to know each other.
Also the victim appears to be a person who is deaf and does not speak, if I remember the article correctly.
Sounds like the attacker was tripping balls and went full-ass crazy.
Everett Chad Nelson?
As in, Everett like Everett True, the guy from those early 1900’s comics who always beats people up?
Chad, like Chad as in… an “alpha” or otherwise hyper-masculine male?
Nelson, as in the bully from the Simpsons?
Nominative determinism strikes again. (Maybe I’m in that community and just didn’t look idk)
The most surprising thing is it wasn’t United Airlines itself beating up the passenger.
They’re testing their new program where the outsource the beatings for liability reasons.
The first time I read the headline, I thought it meant that the United staff were attacking the passenger. Thankfully I guess they weren’t a doctor.
Same! “THAT…is why I always fly Delta.”
The outburst of Everett Chad
What is wrong with America?
Our healthcare system doesn’t take mental health seriously so only rich people can afford therapy and even then, only a relative handful of people actually seek it out.
Drugs, in this case.
It’s a culture of repressed violence. Once you see it, it’s bursting out of every seam that holds this country together.
A rampant culture of Indignant Self-righteousness mixed with a shockingly high level of undiagnosed and/or untreated mental illness. All this leads to a sizeable population of people who wholeheartedly believe that consequences don’t apply to them, and the actions that follow them.
Don’t forget our bedrock of garden variety racism
how long you got?
It’s easier to list what’s right with America. Although all I can think of is Cajun food.
I worry about the eventual trip to Louisiana and the food that will make me abandon my flight home to live amongst the free-rangers for my own Seven Years in Thibodaux . I still have some vestigial college-level French, and I hope that won’t be an impediment.
there’s a lot of good food it’s why we’re so fat
So, great food, great country?
Then why does Trump wanna make it great, again?
great [tasting] food, great [sized] country, yes. fucking bastard of a language english is.
I have tried the standard of (If an area’s regional food is tasty, the people are probably pretty good folk) fairly extensively and found few exceptions. Only been tried for witchcraft and run out of town once.
He fought back by blocking the fists with his face, who is the bigger chad?
People used to get in serious Federal trouble when doing stoopid shit on airplanes… Not so much anymore…
They still do, what are you talking about? This is an FBI case, so the attacker is most certainly in serious federal trouble.
And will be on the no fly list before he takes his next shit.
The attack lasted a minute and the victim didn’t fight back?!
You hit me once and it is on. (That’s if we are on the ground)
On an air plane you hit me once and I call a flight attendant and have your ass arrested. On an airplane you hit me twice and it’s on. I have a legal right to defend myself. (And yes I know you can’t be arrested by a flight attendant, but the flight attendant can certainly call someone who can arrest you).
Flight crew can’t arrest you, but they can restrain you until the plane lands and someone else can.
Also, they probably weren’t fighting back because they were shielding themselves. I don’t know if you’ve even been in a fight, but it’s pretty hard to fight back when you’re sitting down and caught sleeping.
Imagine falling asleep on a flight and then you wake up to punches to the face. Id imagine most people would just instinctively cover their face and try to protect themselves.
You’d have no fucking clue what’s happening for the first few seconds and if any of the punches landed you might be dazed on top of just waking up. And I’m sure at least a couple landed because you were asleep when attacked.
Yeah and in that enclosed space, it’s not like you can take a step back to assume a defensive posture from which you can actually engage in combat. If you’re standing in the aisle you can at least get some arm movement. Sitting turn you can probably barely get a soft jab in.
You must be really tough!
Also, cops can’t fly.
Air marshals? And even if there isn’t one on board they can land and have the police waiting there
And no I’m not tough. But I’m not going down without a fight.
.
So which part makes me a Moron?
The part where if someone hits me I’m going to swing back?
The part where if there is a law enforcement official is present that I expect them to step in and stop one person from attacking another?
The part where if an air marshal is on an air plane and two people are fighting (putting the plane and passengers at risk) I would expect the Marshall to do something?
The part in another comment where I said something to the effect of "even if I don’t think I’ll win, which I probably wouldn’t win, I won’t go without a fight ", does that make me a moron?
I ask because you are making the claim that my arguments (point of view) basically aren’t normal.
Here’s a question for you: if someone hits you what would you do? Would you just sit there?
.
But you’re asleep and next thing you know someone is punching your face and now you can’t see because you have fists in your eyes plus you probably have a seat belt on and you can’t get it off because your hands are probably trying to shield you
Your hands will still or at least should still come up. You should be swinging back. Even if you can’t fully figure out exactly who your assailant is. That’s fighting back. Why would you just sit there?
It’s also leaving your defense open to critical blows to the head.
You don’t know what Air Mashals do if you think they’re the type of cop that intervenes in passenger vs passenger fights. They’re there to stop the plane from being hijacked or crashed by a saboteur.
How long do you think it would take to fly down to pick up a cop? Minutes, perhaps? Intriguing.
You’ve never been in a real fight if you’re that confident you’d prevail in an ambush by a crazy person while restrained by a seat belt.
I’m not as smart and tough as that guy you’re replying to, but wouldn’t an air Marshall detain people for fighting? I thought I’ve read stories where they have in the past, but maybe I’m not remembering correctly.
Maybe, maybe not. The fight could be a distraction to draw the air marshal into the open and into a vulnerable situation so that a highjacking can take place. As long as there isn’t immediate danger of loss of life, they might choose to let some guy get punched in order to continue their primary job of protecting 300 other people. Or they might step in.
That’s why they get paid the big bucks. To determine when it’s time to go loud.
Who said anything about prevailing or winning? I said fighting back I never said winning.
Damn you’re really tough and cool.
So what you are saying is…
Since I would probably lose the fight and get my ass handed to me but I wouldn’t just sit there, then that means I’m tough and cool?
Interesting take.
You have a good night.
Feeling compelled to tell internet strangers that you would never lose consciousness or composure if you were ambushed by someone seated next to you while you were restrained at the waist means you’re definitely very tough, very cool, and very experienced in hand to hand combat.
