Police: Armed Man At Orlando International Airport Asked Cops To Shoot Him
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ORLANDO (CBSMiami) – Police confirm they have a suspect in custody after reports of an armed man in the car rental area of Orlando International Airport.
News first broke out at around 8:20 p.m. when the airport tweeted out there was a man with a weapon in one of the terminals.
Incident ongoing involving man w/ weapon in terminal - Level 1 A-side, rental car area. Police on scene, area contained. Min impact to ops.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) May 31, 2017
Erik Sandoval, a reporter of the CBS affiliate in Orlando, shared video of SWAT entering the airport.
SWAT vehicle making way through gridlock at Orlando airport as gunman is cornered inside @news6wkmg pic.twitter.com/2j4llkYB9R
— Erik Sandoval (@ErikSandoval) May 31, 2017
Orlando police then tweeted out they had the suspect contained.
There is no active shooter. No shots fired. Suspect is contained. Will post updates as we receive them. https://t.co/ckElLh9QDE
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) May 31, 2017
A crisis negotiator had been speaking to the suspect.
Nearly two hours later, police finally apprehended the gunman.
Gunman in custody. Everyone is safe. We will brief ASAP at media briefing location.
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) May 31, 2017
Police identified the gunman as 26-year-old Michael W. Pettigrew.
Authorities said Pettigrew was asking officers to shoot him and it turns out his gun was not real.
This is the gun the suspect was carrying and threatening officers with. Entire incident contained in rental car area. pic.twitter.com/rxNS8g3zpe
— Orlando Police (@OrlandoPolice) May 31, 2017
Pettigrew, who is former military, will be taken in for a mental health evaluation.
He faces one count of aggravated assault with a firearm on a LEO.
No shots were ever fired.
Gov. Rick Scott released the a statement regarding the incident. It read:
"I have remained in constant communication with City of Orlando Police Chief John Mina, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Rick Swearingen, and FDLE Special Agent in Charge Danny Banks regarding the incident tonight at Orlando International Airport. I want to thank law enforcement for their quick response and efforts to put the suspect in custody and keep families safe. The people of Orlando are lucky to have such dedicated officers protecting them each day."
Social media users shared video of what the scene was like from outside and inside the airport.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) Police Block Right Now ???????????????? Terminal A Armed and dangerous suspect pic.twitter.com/PRt6e3vPPr
— Raphael Elliot *️⃣ (@RafaelElliotPR) May 31, 2017
Footage of police in standoff with armed man at Orlando Airport. pic.twitter.com/q2vbELqPIa
— Josh Caplan (@joshdcaplan) May 31, 2017
The airport tweeted out Tuesday night that the FAA has placed a Traffic Management Program in effect for arriving flights.
With ongoing events, FAA has placed a Traffic Management Program in effect for arriving flights. Arrivals may be delayed at departure point.
— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) May 31, 2017
Earlier this year, authorities arrested Esteban Santiago for shooting and killing five people inside a baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.