A pilot was hailed a hero after stopping an armed 15-year-old who tried to hijack a plane at Texarkana Regional Airport in Arkansas.
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According to CNN, local authorities said the teen walked into Signature Aviation, an airport service provider, on Tuesday morning armed with a high-powered rifle and handgun. He approached the front counter, chambered a round, and demanded access to a plane. A staff member quickly ran to the back office and contacted 911 as the situation escalated. Meanwhile, a local pilot realized what happened and pulled his firearm from his truck.
As the teen breached airport security and entered the airfield, the pilot confronted him at gunpoint, ordering him to the ground. The teen complied, allowing the pilot to disarm him before police arrived and took him into custody. Officers later discovered a shotgun inside the teen’s vehicle.
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The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department said the teen is facing multiple serious charges, including aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery, and first-degree terrorist threatening. He was transferred to a juvenile detention center while the district attorney decided on formal charges. In a statement, Airport Director Paul Mehrlich raised the pilot and staff for their quick thinking:
We are very thankful that there were no injuries, no lives lost, but really it was through the actions of this pilot and by the staff at Signature Aviation, that their actions saved lives,”
Authorities have not yet determined why the teen attempted the hijacking, and there’s no word on whether he had aviation experience.
