Bay Area Man Charged With Assaulting Woman On Southwest Flight
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A Bay Area man has been arrested and charged on suspicion of attacking a woman on a Southwest Airlines jet to the Bay Area in October.
A grand jury this week indicted 54-year-old Lawrence Wells with one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury on an aircraft stemming from the incident, prosecutors said.
Wells was arrested by FBI agents on Wednesday and is set to make his first court appearance Wednesday afternoon.
Prosecutors said Wells and the victim were on Southwest Flight 2010 from Los Angeles to San Francisco International Airport on October 18th. Several minutes into the flight, Wells allegedly choked and punched the woman in the head.
The plane, which had more than 130 passengers on board, made an emergency landing back at LAX after the incident.
If convicted, Wells faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.
