Police arrest man after he grabs his loaded gun and runs from checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport

NEW YORK - A Queens, N.Y., man was arrested by police after his backpack alarmed for a loaded firearm at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoint at LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday, July 31.

When the backpack was identified as containing a firearm, it was automatically diverted to a different conveyor belt to be held for law enforcement to inspect, when the man jumped onto the rollers, grabbed the backpack and ran. TSA officers chased the man as he fled, removed the bag from his possession, and they held him while waiting for Port Authority Police to arrive.

The police arrested the man and charged him with weapons violations.

The man, a resident of the St. Albans neighborhood in Queens was ticketed to fly to Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C., and was in possession of a 9mm handgun that was loaded, including a bullet in the chamber.

It was the seventh gun that TSA officers have detected at the airport checkpoints so far this year.

In addition to being arrested, this individual now faces a stiff financial civil penalty. Civil penalties for carrying weapons can reach a maximum of $15,000.

"This was a very dangerous situation that resulted in a temporary five-minute closure of the checkpoint until we were certain that there was no threat to the security and safety of individuals in the immediate area," said Robert Duffy, TSA's Federal Security Director for the airport. "When someone has possession of a loaded gun in an airport, there is no way of knowing what his intention might be. In this instance, when he climbed over the conveyor belt, grabbed the backpack and took off, our officers feared the worst. Fortunately, we were able to subdue the individual. Our partnership with the Port Authority Police Department resulted in the confiscation of the firearm and the man's arrest. Bottom line is that the situation was resolved without anyone getting harmed."

TSA firearms catches at LaGuardia Airport checkpoints, 2018 to 2024

Passengers are permitted to travel with firearms only in checked baggage if they are unloaded and packed in a hard-sided locked case. Then the locked case should be taken to the airline check-in counter to be declared. TSA has details on how to properly travel with a firearm posted on its website.

Bringing a gun to an airport checkpoint carries a federal civil penalty because TSA reserves the right to issue a civil penalty to travelers who have guns and gun parts with them at a checkpoint. Civil penalties for bringing a gun into a checkpoint can stretch into thousands of dollars, depending on mitigating circumstances. The complete list of civil penalties is posted online. Additionally, if a traveler with a gun is a member of TSA PreCheck®, that individual will lose their TSA PreCheck privileges.

Firearm possession laws vary by state and locality and individuals who want to travel with their gun should do their homework to make sure that they are not violating any local firearm laws. Travelers should also contact their airline as they may have additional requirements for traveling with firearms and ammunition.

Unsure if an item should be packed in a carry-on bag, checked bag, either or neither? Download the free myTSA app, which has a handy "What can I bring?" feature that allows you to type in the item to find out if it can fly. Or ask on Twitter or Facebook Messenger at @AskTSA. Travelers may send a question by texting "Travel" to AskTSA (275-872).