Virginia Man Arrested After Caught With Stolen Loaded Handgun At BWI Airport
LINTHICUM, MD. (WJZ) — A Virginia man was caught at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport with a stolen loaded .45 caliber handgun on Monday, TSA officers say.
A TSA officer spotted the gun in the man's carry-on bag while it was inside the checkpoint X-ray machine and immediately alerted the Maryland Transportation Authority Police.
They confiscated the firearm, detained him for questioning before arresting him on weapons charges.
The handgun had seven bullets loaded into it, officials said.
The man told officials that he did not know he had the loaded gun with him because he had recently moved into a new residence.
"Our TSA officers have remained focused on their mission during this pandemic, and they are very skilled at detecting prohibited items," said Andrea R. Mishoe, TSA's Federal Security Director for the State of Maryland. "This was a good catch for several reasons, not the least of which was the fact that the gun had been reported as stolen."