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.

  • @[email protected]
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    4721 days ago

    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.

    • Dogiedog64
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      3620 days ago

      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.

      • @[email protected]
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        20 days ago

        It’s easier to list what’s right with America. Although all I can think of is Cajun food.

            • @[email protected]
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              420 days ago

              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.

        • @[email protected]
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          219 days ago

          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.

    • @[email protected]
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      1620 days ago

      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.

    • @[email protected]
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      519 days ago

      It’s a culture of repressed violence. Once you see it, it’s bursting out of every seam that holds this country together.

  • quicklime
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    2720 days ago

    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.

  • @[email protected]
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    2221 days ago

    People used to get in serious Federal trouble when doing stoopid shit on airplanes… Not so much anymore…

    • Chozo
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      8021 days ago

      They still do, what are you talking about? This is an FBI case, so the attacker is most certainly in serious federal trouble.

  • @[email protected]
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    1921 days ago

    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).

    • @[email protected]
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      21 days ago

      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.

      • @[email protected]
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        3720 days ago

        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.

      • @[email protected]
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        2621 days ago

        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.

    • @RedditRefugee69
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      2721 days ago

      You must be really tough!

      Also, cops can’t fly.

      • @[email protected]
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        21 days ago

        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.

        • @[email protected]
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          3221 days ago

          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

          • @[email protected]
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            120 days ago

            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?

        • @RedditRefugee69
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          1921 days ago

          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.

          • @[email protected]
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            721 days ago

            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.

            • @[email protected]
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              720 days ago

              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.

              • @RedditRefugee69
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                520 days ago

                That’s why they get paid the big bucks. To determine when it’s time to go loud.

              • @[email protected]
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                120 days ago

                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.

                • @RedditRefugee69
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                  117 days ago

                  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.

          • @[email protected]
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            219 days ago

            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?

  • @[email protected]
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    1519 days ago

    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)