A Delta Air Lines passenger on Tuesday stole an airport towing vehicle then crashed it before attempting to escape in truck that holds aircraft lavatory waste, the authorities said. The chaotic chain of events caused mayhem on the tarmac at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif.
The breach occurred around 5:30 p.m., briefly disrupting operations at the airport and drawing a heavy law enforcement response.
Some pilots at the airport were puzzled, including one commanding a SkyWest Airlines flight to San Francisco that was taxiing at the time of episode, according to air traffic control communications.
“Just out of curiosity, you know what’s going on with the vehicles behind us, with all the law enforcements?” the pilot asked an air traffic controller.
“Yeah, looks like someone stole a tug,” the controller replied. “There’s a security breach at the airport.”
The man accused of causing the breach, Skyler Jay Barr, 26, of Everett, Wash., had been scheduled to fly to Seattle. The authorities said he gained access to the airfield through an emergency door at Gate 12 in Terminal B, setting off an alarm.
Mr. Barr proceeded to get behind the wheel of a tug assigned to Alaska Airlines, making it as far as Gate 7 before crashing it into a utility cart, according to AnnaSophia Servin, a spokeswoman for the airport.
But the havoc did not end there.
Mr. Barr attempted to steal an American Airlines lavatory truck before he was arrested by the airport police, Ms. Servin said in an email on Wednesday, adding that Mr. Barr was taken to a hospital to be evaluated after the crash.
Mr. Barr was charged with vehicle theft, trespassing and vandalism, said Sgt. Gerard McCann, a spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Mr. Barr remained in custody in a county jail, Sergeant McCann said. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.
A representative for Delta on Wednesday said in a statement that the airline was cooperating with law enforcement and referred questions to them.
Alaska Airlines referred questions about the stolen tug to AGI, a company that the airline and airport officials said was the vehicle’s owner. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Neither did American Airlines.
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