The 3 girls from Lengthy Island — Jordan Nixon, Janessa Torres and Johara Zavala — had been indicted via a federal grand jury on one depend every of attack of an air service worker with safety tasks, in line with the indictment unsealed Thursday. They had been arraigned Thursday, pleaded now not to blame, and had been launched on $25,000 bond with a circle of relatives member as a suretor.
“As alleged, the defendants viciously assaulted an airline safety officer via beating him to the ground along with his radio after which kicking and punching him within the face and frame whilst he was once down,” Breon Peace, United States Lawyer for the Japanese District of New York (EDNY), mentioned in a press unencumber Thursday. “The extraordinary and competitive habits in reference to our air trip is out of keep watch over,” he endured, pronouncing his place of business has a “0 tolerance” coverage for such violent behavior.
Government describe the September incident pronouncing a gate agent knowledgeable the flight team of the “belligerent” behavior of the 3 girls, and it was once made up our minds they may now not board the flight, the click unencumber from EDNY mentioned. When requested via a safety officer to go away the jetway, one defendant allegedly struck the safety officer “time and again along with his personal radio,” and after he fell to the bottom all 3 allegedly punched and kicked him whilst he was once at the ground, the discharge mentioned.
“The defendants had been belligerent, with one showing to be visibly disoriented and perhaps intoxicated, and any other who was once refusing to correctly put on her masks,” prosecutors allege in line with the discharge.
Federal and state officers alleged the 3 girls attacked two airline workers. At one level the gate agent attempted to lend a hand the safety officer, and one defendant allegedly punched the gate agent within the face, the click unencumber mentioned. The costs simplest mirror the attack at the safety officer, in line with the indictment.
The FBI assistant director in fee, Michael Driscoll mentioned the FBI is lead on arresting those that attack or threaten flight team including “we’re aggressively addressing this rising danger and take all instances severely.”
All through the arraignment Thursday, the pass judgement on granted one lady particular permission to fly for a pay as you go shuttle to Florida for her birthday Friday. The federal government requested the pass judgement on to disclaim the request given her plans to fly and the character of the case on the subject of alleged violence all the way through trip, however the pass judgement on overruled that. The defendants do have to show over their passports.
The events all mentioned in court docket they intend to interact in plea negotiations in the meanwhile. The following standing convention is February third.
CNN has reached out to the ladies’s lawyers for remark.
Lawyer Peter Guadagnino says his consumer Nixon, 21, “maintains her innocence and she or he denies the allegations as delineated within the executive’s indictment.”
Guadagnino added, “We’re ready to look what discovery comes our means and what if the rest is recorded with recognize to the incident.”
Jacob Mitchell, lawyer for Zavala, declined remark. The lawyer representing Torres may just now not instantly be reached for remark.
Delta mentioned in a remark: “Not anything is extra essential than the security of our workers and shoppers, and we’ve 0 tolerance for bodily violence on our airports and on our planes. We will be able to paintings absolutely with police officers to make sure this unacceptable behavior is held to account.”
CNN’s Liam Reilly and Lauren del Valle contributed to this file.
