A teenager has been charged with a string of offences after he allegedly tried to force his way onto a Jetstar flight with a loaded shotgun.
In a statement on Friday, authorities explained officers were called to Avalon Airport after a teenager allegedly entered the commercial flight to Sydney on Thursday afternoon with a firearm.
It’s understood the 17-year-old was dressed in high-vis similar to airport ground crew and was subsequently tackled to the ground by passengers and detained by the crew till police arrived.
Victoria Police Superintendent Michael Reid later told reporters the teen had climbed through a hole in the airport’s security fence before heading on foot to the plane, as reported by The Guardian.
The teen allegedly tried to climb the front stairs into the plane cabin but was noticed to be carrying the shotgun by passengers and was overpowered by three civilians.
Police allegedly located two bags and a vehicle belonging to the boy. As a precautionary measure, the Bomb Response Unit were called to assist with the bags.
Fortunately no one was physically injured during the incident.
The teen from Ballarat has been charged with a number of offences, including unlawfully taking control of an aircraft, endangering safety operation of an aircraft, dangerous goods on an aircraft, carrying out a bomb hoax, and possessing a firearm.
He was remanded in custody to appear at a children’s court at a later date.
“No doubt this would have been a very terrifying incident for the passengers of that plane and Victoria Police really commend the bravery of the passengers who were able to overpower that male,” Superintendent Reid told reporters, per ABC News.
He confirmed investigators are working with the police counterterrorism command and Australian Federal Police though the incident is not yet being treated as terrorism, stating it’s “too early to establish that”.
Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne, Echuca resident Barry Clark — who was among the passengers to apprehend the teenager — explained he noticed the young man when he realised a female flight attendant was questioning him, and decided to quietly approach him from behind.
“He was dressed up as a worker and he got agitated and before we knew, it there was a gun — shotgun appeared — and I was worried about there being shots. So all I could do was get the gun out of the way, threw it down the stairs and then put him in a hold and throw him to the ground til the police come,” he said.
When asked by The Project later that evening if he was scared during the encounter, Clark said he didn’t want to see the flight attendant in harm’s way.
“You don’t have time to be scared. If you’re scared you’re going to make a mistake … You’ve got to act,” he said.
In a statement shortly after the incident, Jetstar said it was aware of a security incident at Avalon Airport and was working with police to “urgently understand what has occurred”, per ABC News.
It’s understood the approximately 150 passengers on the plane disembarked after the teenager was detained and the airport went into lockdown. It reopened late Thursday night with further security measures, per The Age.
The airport’s chief executive Ari Suss stopped short of detailing the new measures but said they would be “within the terminal and surrounding areas” and passengers with upcoming flights are urged to check directly with Jetstar for travel updates.
“We want to reassure the public that the safety of our passengers, staff, and community remains our highest priority,” Suss said.
“We appreciate the patience and cooperation of our passengers and staff. Our teams are on hand to assist travellers as we resume normal operations.”
Suss added the matter is currently being managed by Victoria Police and the airport is “co-operating fully with their investigation”.
Lead image: 9News
The post 17 Y.O Charged After Allegedly Attempting To Board Jetstar Flight With Shotgun appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
