A young teenager brandishing a firearm demanded a plane at Arkansas Texarkana Regional Airport before he was disarmed by a pilot packing a gun on Tuesday, law enforcement authorities reported.
The boy, 15, entered the airport shortly before 7:35 a.m. with both a handgun and an AR-style rifle, said authorities with the Texarkana Police Department in Arkansas. He walked up to an airline ticket counter and ordered workers to get him a plane, said officials.
A witness who saw the exchange managed to flee the area and alerted others to what had happened. Some employee managed to back away, lock themselves in a safe room and called 911.
The suspect, meanwhile, exited the building and began walking on the airfield.
A pilot working for a private flight service at the airport who was made aware of the incident retrieved his own firearm from his truck, approached the suspect and ordered him down on the ground, according to police.
The suspect complied. The pilot then disarmed him, and authorities quickly arrived to take the teen into custody, police reported.
No one was injured in the confrontation.
The juvenile suspect faces charges of aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery and terroristic threatening. He was transferred to an Arkansas juvenile detention center. A district attorney will later decide on formal charges.
Police did not identify the suspect, as is common in cases involving minors.
“The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department applauds the heroic act by the local pilot,” said a police statement. “The fact that this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully, despite the extreme danger presented, is highly commendable.”
Airport Director Paul Mehrlich told KSLA-TV: “We want everybody to know the airport is safe and secure and flights will be going out as usual.”
He added: “We are thankful that there were no injuries, no lives lost, but it really was through the actions of this pilot and the staff at Signature Aviation that their actions saved lives.”
