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A passenger on a flight from Seattle to Las Vegas was detained after allegedly stabbing a man with a homemade weapon. Court documents reviewed by KLAS show that Julio Lopez was charged with one count of assault with a dangerous weapon for allegedly stabbing a man in the eye with a bundle of pens and rubber bands during the January 24 flight.
The FBI said that Lopez was "fidgety" during the flight and was constantly ruffling through his backpack. About 30 minutes before the plane was supposed to land, he got up and went to the bathroom.
As Lopez returned to his seat, he started to assault a man sitting across the aisle from him. The man's wife was also struck as she tried to shield their seven-year-old son from the attack.
During the altercation, Lopez used the bundle of pens and tried to stab the victim in the eye.
Lopez eventually stopped the attack and was restrained by the flight crew with a pair of flex cuffs. He was taken into custody once the plane landed.
Lopez told investigators that he "felt the mafia had been chasing him." While Lopez had never seen the victim before, he told the FBI he planned to kill the man because he thought he was a cartel member sent to follow him.
Lopez remains jailed and will be arraigned next week.