Man Pleads Guilty to Stabbing Passenger With Homemade Pen Weapon on Flight to Las Vegas

A passenger pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to launching a midair attack on a Las Vegas-bound flight, using a makeshift weapon of bundled ink pens to repeatedly stab a man sitting next to him.

Federal prosecutors say the incident happened on Jan. 24, 2024, when Julio Alvarez Lopez suddenly punched and stabbed a fellow passenger with a crude, improvised tool — three ballpoint pens lashed together with hair bands.

According to court documents, Lopez targeted the victim without warning, driving the pen‑weapon into the man’s body and face. The assault left the victim, whose name was not released, with injuries around the torso and eye that required stitches.

Witnesses told investigators that once Lopez stopped stabbing the victim, he stood up and began moving toward the front of the aircraft. Flight crew and passengers intervened, restraining him for the remainder of the trip as the plane continued toward Harry Reid International Airport.

Stabbing Was Premeditated

When the aircraft landed, officers from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department took Lopez into custody. During a post‑arrest interview — in which Lopez waived his Miranda rights — he admitted he had intentionally armed himself before boarding.

He told investigators he chose the victim because he believed the man had been “looking at him in a harassing way,” and said his goal was to kill the passenger by “shoving the homemade weapon into the victim’s brain.”

Lopez, 38, pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, a federal felony. He is scheduled back in court on Sept. 22, 2026, when a U.S. district judge will determine his sentence.

The investigation was handled jointly by the FBI, the Federal Air Marshal Service, and the LVMPD. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brenna Bush.