An armed teenager was arrested at the Texarkana Regional Airport in Arkansas after attempting to take control of a plane, officials say.
The teen, armed with a handgun and an AR-style rifle, approached Signature Aviation and demanded to be given a plane around 7:30 am on Tuesday morning. Terrified employees fled the area, locking themselves in secure locations before calling and informing law enforcement of the incident, reported KSLA.
The armed minor began to make his way to the airfield storing private airplanes when he was spotted by a pilot working for a local private aviation business. The pilot quickly grabbed his own firearm and pointed it at the teen, ordering him to get on the ground. The pilot then disarmed the teen as law enforcement arrived at the scene.
"We want everybody to know the airport is safe and secure and flights will be going out as usual," said Paul Mehrlich, airport director.
"Today, 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 today," Mehrlich said.
The teen was arrested by police and charged with aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery and first-degree terroristic threatening. He was taken into custody and transferred to a juvenile detention center in Arkansas.
No one was injured in the incident, Mehrlich stated, indicating that the airport had security protocol in place for such incidents.
"And we feel it did work in the way it's supposed to, but of course, any time you have an incident like this, we find ways to improve it, make it faster. If you can shave 10 to 15 seconds off, that can mean more lives saved in the future," Mehrlich explained.
"We will find ways to improve our system, but we are very proud that today nobody was hurt," he continued.
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