Rampage Victims Of Rock Rare
A millionaire rock star caused mayhem at 35,000ft with a drunken rampage on a British Airways jumbo jet, a jury heard yesterday. Peter Buck, 45-year-old guitarist with the group REM, was said to have grappled with two stewardesses after downing 15 glasses of wine. The American demanded to be taken home and tried to open one of the exit doors, abused the captain and his crew, overturned a trolley smashing all the crockery and tried to hide a knife up his sleeve, Isleworth Crown Court was told. When the pilot handed him a written warning over his behaviour, he swore and ripped it up.
And when Captain Tom Payne told him to calm down, saying that the plane might have to be diverted if he did not behave, Buck was said to have replied: 'I am REM and I can make up a story I was assaulted.' He was so drunk that he tried to attack a steward with a pot of yoghurt and a spoon, and attempted to insert a CD into a hostess trolley because he wanted to hear some music, the jury of six men and six women heard. Buck denies two counts of assault, one of drunkenness on an aircraft and one of criminal damage. If found guilty he faces up to four years in jail. He sat in the dock in a pinstriped suit and tie as prosecutor David Bate, QC, told the court how, in April last year, Buck was flying from Seattle to London with REM colleagues Michael Stipe and Mike Mills. They were appearing at Nelson Mandela's 'Freedom Day' concert in Trafalgar Square. Mr Bate said Buck did not appear drunk when he and his tour manager took their seats in first class but it was clear to cabin staff he had been drinking.
After take-off he ordered glass after glass of red wine. 'He consumed about 15 glasses over about three hours. He kept asking for more.' After Buck repeatedly spilled wine and staggered to the lavatory, the purser ignored his demands for more.
But Buck insisted on going to the galley and pouring wine unsteadily into his glass, the court heard. He then unsuccessfully demanded whisky, tried to grab bottles of wine from galley lockers and made attempts to bribe the crew to give him more drink. Captain Payne cautioned the rock star about his behaviour and handed him a 'yellow card' written warning. 'Buck held the letter a few inches in front of Capt Payne's face. He said the captain knew what he could do with his f.
Rampage Victims Of Rock Rares
letter. He tore it into pieces.' After mistaking the cabin trolley for a CD player, Buck asked to be moved to sit next to a female passenger claiming to steward Mario Agius that she was his wife. He then punched the wall of the aircraft and advanced towards the steward holding a tub of yoghurt in one hand and a metal spoon in the other. 'Mr Agius, thinking the yoghurt was going to end up over him, grabbed the spoon and tub of yoghurt. Buck struggled, pulling Mr Agius's jacket and tie. Buck said, 'I can f.
take you out any time'.' The tub of yoghurt exploded over Mr Agius, and stewardess Holly Ward became worried that Buck was going to attack her colleague with the spoon. She grabbed Buck's arm to pull it away. Buck reached over, took hold of her forearm and wrenched her hand away. As crew members tried to restrain Buck and shepherd him back to his seat, the guitarist deliberately overturned Miss Ward's breakfast trolley and then tried to slip a knife up his sleeve, the court heard. Another stewardess, Lara Encechi, told the jury how she grappled with Buck as he lunged for the controls to an exit door screaming that he wanted to 'go home'.
'I tried to bring his hands away from the controls. He went for the door handle so I struggled with him and pulled his hands away. It was a struggle.' Miss Encechi said Buck grew tired and gave up his battle to open the door but then became stuck between the jump seats by the exit and had to be helped back to his seat by cabin staff.
When arrested at Heathrow, Buck claimed to have slept all the way from Seattle but later allegedly admitted he had acted 'like a jerk', Mr Bate said. The trial continues.
RELATED:“What followed can only be described as a senseless act of violence,” said LAPD captain Lillian Carranza during a news conference Wednesday, where she acted as an interpreter. She said the sisters “fought for their life and did everything humanly possible to protect each other.”“There was no time to be scared,” said Carranza, translating from Spanish for the Bojorquez women.The women reportedly took turns fighting off their attacker for over six minutes, trading blows and hitting him with furniture even as he threw punches at their heads. The harrowing footage was caught on surveillance camera and shows one of the women, at one point, beating the suspect with a chair. The salon owner, who had opened the salon’s doors just prior to the attack, ran to seek help.An employee of the store next door ran in to help after the salon owner reportedly shouted “he’s going to kill them.”“They were battling each other with chairs,” recalled Rene Javier Solis, the employee, during the conference.
“I saw how badly wounded he was. I just looked over to them and I was like, ‘Wow, I’m impressed.' ”RELATED:Investigators identified the assailant as 25-year-old Gustavo Aranda, who was found to match the description of a carjacker that had gone out over a LAPD radio broadcast hours prior. He and his clothing matched the description of the car thief who reportedly chased the driver of a 2007 Toyota 4Runner, before beating him to the ground and stealing his keys.
Police discovered the SUV he allegedly stole near where it was stolen and according to Capt. Carranza, it was the same location where Aranda allegedly attacked another random man “just walking down the street.”“The suspect parked the stolen vehicle, walked behind the victim, and once again, without provocation, he started beating on the victim,” she added. Authorities believe Aranda committed several other crimes during his “spree.” He was arrested on charges of robbery and is being held on $150,000 bail.
They’re asking for any witnesses who may have seen his random rampage to step forward.“We suspect that he’s gone on a crime spree,” Carranza said. “We would like to know what happened in those two hours between the carjacking and the attack on the two sisters.”.