Air rage incident aboard WN flight
Dec 16, 2015, 7:38 pm
#61
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
Indicted -- The Victim Sustained a Concussion
A man who allegedly punched and choked a woman on a Southwest Airlines flight in October, giving her a concussion, has been indicted by a federal grand jury.
Witnesses said the fight started over the woman's seat being reclined. The San Francisco-bound plane made an emergency landing after leaving from Los Angeles.
Lawrence Wells, 54, who lives in the Bay Area, faces one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury stemming from the October scuffle on Southwest Flight 2010.
If found guilty, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. This is the first time that Wells has been formally identified, and efforts to reach him on Wednesday – after the FBI announced his arrest – were not immediately successful.
Witnesses said the fight started over the woman's seat being reclined. The San Francisco-bound plane made an emergency landing after leaving from Los Angeles.
Lawrence Wells, 54, who lives in the Bay Area, faces one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury stemming from the October scuffle on Southwest Flight 2010.
If found guilty, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. This is the first time that Wells has been formally identified, and efforts to reach him on Wednesday – after the FBI announced his arrest – were not immediately successful.
Mar 31, 2016, 9:42 am
#63
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
Man Convicted of Assaulting Passenger Who Reclined Her Seat in Front of Him; Faces Up to a Year in Prison
Lawrence Wells, 54, of Richmond faces up to a year in prison when sentenced on June 27, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Wells had faced a federal felony charge of assault on an airplane resulting in serious bodily injury, with the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count, prosecutors said.
A jury rejected the felony and settled on the lesser count at the conclusion of the second day of trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Lichtman told jurors on Tuesday that Wells “attacked” the woman — identified in court papers by the initials M.D. — last Oct. 18 after Southwest Airlines Flight 2010 departed three hours late from Los Angeles International Airport.
The woman, seated in the row ahead of Wells, “upset the defendant” when she reclined her seat, Lichtman said in his opening statement. When she again reclined her chair back after take-off, Wells “put his hands on her throat, his hands around her neck” and punched her “full force,” the prosecutor alleged.
“She couldn’t breathe and thought she was going to die,” Lichtman told the jury.
Defense attorney Alan Eisner did not dispute that there was a heated encounter between the two, but denied that his client ever punched, choked or assaulted the woman.
“She said she was scared, but not really hurt,” Eisner said. “She did not suffer from this incident.”
Wells had faced a federal felony charge of assault on an airplane resulting in serious bodily injury, with the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count, prosecutors said.
A jury rejected the felony and settled on the lesser count at the conclusion of the second day of trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Lichtman told jurors on Tuesday that Wells “attacked” the woman — identified in court papers by the initials M.D. — last Oct. 18 after Southwest Airlines Flight 2010 departed three hours late from Los Angeles International Airport.
The woman, seated in the row ahead of Wells, “upset the defendant” when she reclined her seat, Lichtman said in his opening statement. When she again reclined her chair back after take-off, Wells “put his hands on her throat, his hands around her neck” and punched her “full force,” the prosecutor alleged.
“She couldn’t breathe and thought she was going to die,” Lichtman told the jury.
Defense attorney Alan Eisner did not dispute that there was a heated encounter between the two, but denied that his client ever punched, choked or assaulted the woman.
“She said she was scared, but not really hurt,” Eisner said. “She did not suffer from this incident.”
Mar 31, 2016, 10:14 am
#64
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
She told Wells “I need more room” because her knees were “jammed up,” according to Eisner, who said the woman is over 6 feet tall. “She said she didn’t feel like being sweet and kind about it,” the defense attorney said.
Still there is no excuse for someone putting hands on anyone else in that situation.
BTW, I'm over 6 feet tall and don't feel an overriding need to recline my seat for more room, in fact I seldom recline it at all.
Mar 31, 2016, 10:38 am
#65
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: National Capitol Region
Programs: Delta Dirt Medallion,AA,USairways, WN Rapid Rewards, National Emerald Club
Posts: 3,912
Spirit has the perfect counter to sleep , i.e. 28" pitch with no recline.
Mar 31, 2016, 11:16 am
#66
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
Apparently the Jury didn't believe the woman suffered "serious bodily injury" described as " “concussion symptoms,” including nausea, loss of appetite and ringing in the ears for about a month afterward" since he was only convicted of simple assault or they believed she had partially provoked the incident.
No indication a single witness intervened or provided a corroborating statement.
Wonder why he was convicted of anything?
Mar 31, 2016, 11:20 am
#67
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
The recline mechanism also adds weight. Multiplied out, the plane can carry additional passengers and spend less on fuel.
Mar 31, 2016, 1:46 pm
#68
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
My best guess is two @holes. He did put his hands on her when she became obnoxious, so the jury found he went too far but now as far as she claimed. Law suit to follow.
It's hard for me to understand how anyone could have gotten a concussion by being grabbed from behind. Isn't that why the high seat backs are there to prevent in the event of a crash landing?
Mar 31, 2016, 1:46 pm
#69
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Plus the fixed seats are cheaper in the first place.
Mar 31, 2016, 2:25 pm
#70
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
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Mar 31, 2016, 3:06 pm
#71
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
However if the incident was triggered by the woman reclining her seat after takeoff is seems probable that the choking came from the defendant seated behind the woman. If he had gotten up to choke and punch her, then more likely the FAs and other passengers would have gotten involved and there is no indication they did (but that's not explicitly stated). It also seems the jury would likely have looked at the events differently.
But you're right it's not explicitly stated and so it's an assumption on my part about how the incident played out.
Mar 31, 2016, 6:58 pm
#72
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
A "mere shaking" shouldn't hurt.
LAT
Wells’ attorney argued that his client merely shook the woman after she used an expletive to describe him.
"He was only trying to get home after a long day."
"Larry feels terrible about the incident.”
"He was only trying to get home after a long day."
"Larry feels terrible about the incident.”
Apr 1, 2016, 6:38 am
#73
Join Date: Feb 2014
Posts: 921
Understand that the reporter probably wasn't even at the trial, and only got a few statements after the fact to put the story together. It's hard to write about a multi-day trial in just a few sentences, and most people just want to know the conclusion anyway, not every witness that was interviewed (even though it does present a much more thorough story). Unless the reporter normally covers court cases, chances are the reporter isn't familiar with these trials and the charges, and the story here indicates that.
Note that they didn't convict on 'simple assault', but rather "...the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count". Thus, we don't even know what this other charge actually was that she was convicted on.
Note that they didn't convict on 'simple assault', but rather "...the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count". Thus, we don't even know what this other charge actually was that she was convicted on.
Apr 1, 2016, 6:58 am
#74
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Blue Ridge, GA
Posts: 5,512
Understand that the reporter probably wasn't even at the trial, and only got a few statements after the fact to put the story together. It's hard to write about a multi-day trial in just a few sentences, and most people just want to know the conclusion anyway, not every witness that was interviewed (even though it does present a much more thorough story). Unless the reporter normally covers court cases, chances are the reporter isn't familiar with these trials and the charges, and the story here indicates that.
Note that they didn't convict on 'simple assault', but rather "...the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count". Thus, we don't even know what this other charge actually was that she was convicted on.
Note that they didn't convict on 'simple assault', but rather "...the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count". Thus, we don't even know what this other charge actually was that she was convicted on.
And there wasn't a "she" convicted of anything.
Apr 1, 2016, 7:05 am
#75
Join Date: Jul 2013
Posts: 5,813
Wells had faced a federal felony charge of assault on an airplane resulting in serious bodily injury, with the lesser included misdemeanor “simple assault” count, prosecutors said.
A jury rejected the felony and settled on the lesser count at the conclusion of the second day of trial.
A jury rejected the felony and settled on the lesser count at the conclusion of the second day of trial.