'Hero' pilot stops 15-year-old boy who stormed airport with rifle and demanded a plane

The teen arrived astatine a tiny determination airdrome with an AR-style firearm and a handgun portion demanding an craft and entree to the airfield — but the quick-thinking aviator sprung into action

A aviator has been hailed a "hero" aft helium stopped a 15-year-old lad who stormed an airdrome with a rifle and demanded entree to a plane.

The teen arrived astatine the tiny determination airdrome successful Arkansas with an AR-style firearm and a handgun portion demanding an craft and entree to the airfield — but the quick-thinking aviator sprung into enactment and ran to drawback his ain gun, according to officials.

The unidentified kid entered Signature Aviation - 1 of the businesses at the Texarkana Regional Airport, astatine astir 7.30am connected Tuesday earlier approaching the beforehand antagonistic and flashing some guns, constabulary and airdrome officials said.

Terrified unit members past fled into 1 of the backmost offices aft the teen loaded a circular successful the chamber. Workers locked the doorway and called police, CNN reports. The lad meantime near to spell to the airfield, wherever helium caught the attraction of a section backstage pilot.

The aviator ran to his motortruck to drawback his ain weapon earlier confronting the lad and forcing him onto the ground, officials said. After complying, the teen was yet taken distant by Texarkana constabulary officers — who discovered different shotgun successful a car believed to person been utilized by the boy, the airdrome said.

The section aboriginal released a connection praising the pilot. It wrote: “The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department applauds the heroic enactment by the section pilot. The information that this incidental was resolved rapidly and peacefully, contempt the utmost information presented, is highly commendable,” it added.

Airport manager Paul Mehrlich besides thanked the polit aft the incident, which reportedly lasted astir 10 minutes. He said . “We are precise thankful that determination were nary injuries, nary lives lost, but truly it was done the actions of this aviator and by the unit astatine Signature Aviation, that their actions saved lives,” Mehrlich told section outlet KSLA.

The teen, who was not from the area, was taken to an Arkansas juvenile detention halfway aft helium was arrested for aggravated assault, attempted aggravated robbery and making terroristic threats, constabulary said.