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No Threat To OIA After Man Attempts To Breach Secure Checkpoint

This holiday will be the busiest so far at MCO. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons
This holiday will be the busiest so far at MCO. Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

For the second time this month, an incident at a security checkpoint caused delays at Orlando International Airport.

Orlando Police said a man tried to enter a secure checkpoint area. While authorities attempted to arrest the subject, he reached into his pocket. Someone in line yelled the subject had a gun, which cause a panic in the screening area.

Police said there is no threat to the airport and the subject has been arrested. There was no gun involved in the incident and no shots were ever fired. The man was taken into involuntary protective custody under a "Baker Act," according to OPD.

Security screenings were on hold after the incident, and shuttle transportation inside the airport was temporarily shut down. It’s unclear why the man was trying to get through security.

Dozens of flights were delayed, but screening has resumed at the terminal.

Earlier this month, a TSA officer died after jumping from a balcony inside the airport lobby causing panic at a security checkpoint and delaying flights.

Orlando International is the busiest airport in the state of Florida serving around 47 million passengers last year.

Brendan Byrne is WMFE's Assistant News Director, managing the day-to-day operations of the WMFE newsroom, editing daily news stories, and managing WMFE's internship program.

Byrne also hosts WMFE's weekly radio show and podcast "Are We There Yet?" which explores human space exploration.