Air Piracy Charges Filed in Alleged Skyjacking

Federal charges of air piracy were brought Wednesday against a San Jose man accused of hijacking a Southwest Airlines flight by threatening to kill passengers unless he was taken to Hollywood.

Joe Luis Mendez, 34, could face up to 20 years in federal prison, stemming from an on-board confrontation that caused Southwest Airlines Flight 923 to make an unscheduled landing at Burbank Airport on Tuesday night.

Mendez boarded the San Jose-bound flight in San Diego, briefly fell asleep, then awoke and allegedly told flight attendant Christie Beal she should inform the captain “He should take the plane to Hollywood or else he [Mendez] would start killing people,” according to documents filed in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Mendez allegedly repeated the threat to Southwest Capt. David Deats during a conversation by telephone to the cockpit, the affidavit said. After replying that there was no airport in Hollywood, Deats offered to land in Los Angeles or Burbank, to which Mendez allegedly replied Burbank “would be cool.”

Authorities said Mendez also threatened to kill a fellow passenger and said he “wanted to do something dramatic and have an altercation with the cops,” adding this would be his “coming out party.”

Mendez was arrested by airport police who turned him over to Burbank police, who said Mendez struggled briefly when they handcuffed him, according to a statement filed in court by the FBI.

Mendez told police he broke up with his girlfriend Monday, and drove from San Jose to the San Diego area.

He later called the girlfriend and asked her to buy him a ticket back to San Jose on the 6 p.m. Southwest Airlines flight and she complied, authorities said. But after boarding the plane, Mendez told authorities he wanted to hijack the plane because he did not want to go to San Jose.