LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A woman faces charges for allegedly attempting to gain access to a cockpit, forcing a plane to divert to Las Vegas, according to documents the 8 News Now Investigators reviewed.
A federal grand jury indicted Ekaterina Lau on charges of inference with flight crew members and attendants and assault by striking or wounding, records said.
Prosecutors allege that on Sunday, Sept. 10, Lau “[assaulted] and [intimidated] [a] flight attendant or crew member in an effort to breach the flight deck and force the aircraft to land,” documents said. The United Airlines flight from Sacramento to Newark landed at Harry Reid International Airport.
Court documents indicate Lau was also accused of “shoving [two flight attendants] aside in an effort to breach and flight deck.”
Records from FlightAware show the flight diverted south over central Nevada less than an hour into the flight.
An initial appearance was scheduled for Nov. 9.
Lau’s Las Vegas-based attorney declined to comment, citing the early stages of the case.
