Wouldn’t the world be a crazy place if a 15-year-old boy walked into an airport with an AR-style rifle, demanded an aircraft, then proceeded to the airfield to planejack one himself? Well, get out your straight jackets because that’s exactly the world we live in. Thankfully, the old adage about a good guy with a gun is still a thing.
In an ordeal that lasted approximately 10 minutes, according to airport director Paul Mehrlich, an unidentified 15-year-old boy stormed the Texarkana Regional Airport in Arkansas around 7:30 AM on February 4, waving around what has been described as an AR-style rifle and demanding his own private aircraft. Police and airport officials say the teen, who was also carrying a handgun, approached the front counter at Signature Aviation, expecting access to the airfield and a plane. Kids can be so entitled these days.
Obviously upset with the lack of customer service, the soon-to-be guest of the state loaded a round in the chamber in hopes that his request might be taken more seriously. This just caused the staff to take a coffee break, and by coffee break, I mean they took off running for a back office where they locked themselves inside and called the police.
It was at this point that the young man took initiative, likely thinking that if he wanted to get anything done right, he’d have to do it himself, so he left the counter and headed to the airfield on his own to commandeer a plane, because I’m sure flying one of those works just like it does on Playstation.
Now, this type of behavior is generally frowned upon, and some might even call it alarming, but one heroic pilot found it downright obnoxious, retrieving his own firearm from his truck and confronting the 15-year-old, according to officials. The pilot ordered the young man to kiss the pavement, and in what was likely the boy’s first moment of clarity that morning, he complied.
The teen was ultimately taken into custody by the Texarkana police. Upon searching his vehicle, a shotgun was also recovered, undoubtedly enraging 12-gauge enthusiasts as they once again take a back seat to that which is considered more tacti-cool. But the real story here is the pilot, who charged into a dangerous and potentially deadly situation and ended it without injury or even any shots fired.
“The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department applauds the heroic act by the local pilot… The fact that this incident was resolved quickly and peacefully, despite the extreme danger presented, is highly commendable,” the department said in a statement.
The teen, whose motives remain unknown at this time, was not from the area, but I have it on good authority that he’ll be a resident there for a bit as he was hauled off to an Arkansas juvenile detention center, charged with aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery and making terroristic threats. That’s a heck of a resume for such a young fella!
“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,” Mehrlich told KSLA.
I guess the lesson here is pretty simple. For the love of God, don’t do that. And to the pilot who handled the situation like a boss to the extent that he won’t even need trauma therapy for ventilating a kid before he was old enough to have his first beer, well played, sir.
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