A Miami man took an acid trip that could take him straight to prison.
Cherruy Loghan Sevilla, 24, pleaded guilty in federal court for assaulting flight attendants on a United Airlines flight last year. He could get up to 20 years in prison for his behavior on his trip.
Sevilla was on board a United Airlines flight from Miami to Washington on October 4, 2022. About an hour into the flight, he began behaving in an erratic and disruptive manner. He smashed the door of a toilet, cursed while running through the aisles, and tried to break down the pilots’ cockpit door.
The flight crew tried to restrain him, but he threw himself on the floor and blocked the aisle as the plane was about to land. He grabbed and twisted the breast of a female flight attendant.
The flying-high traveler was subdued by another passenger, another flight attendant, and a law enforcement officer on board. A flight attendant’s arm was twisted during the struggle.
The offensive, out-of-control passenger kept screaming while being restrained by multiple people, including an air marshal, as the aircraft landed.
Sevilla told police he had taken the psychedelic psilocybin at the Miami airport before boarding the plane. He said he was sorry about his behavior.
If Sevilla is convicted at his court appearance on April 21, 2023, the maximum punishment is 20 years in prison. The punishment will be decided by a federal district court judge after considering the US guidelines for sentencing and other legal considerations regarding airplane disturbances.