The Bobster
Senior News Editor since 2004
http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/local_news/060409_2_Charged_After_Gun_Found_On_PHL_Plane
2 Charged After Gun Found On PHL Plane
PHILADELPHIA - The FBI charged a US Airways employee with helping his roommate get a concealed, semiautomatic handgun onto a plane departing Philadelphia International Airport early Thursday.
Customer service agent Roshid Milledge switched black carry-on bags with passenger Damien Young at the gate so Young could board the 7 a.m. flight to Phoenix with the unloaded 9 mm weapon, the FBI said in an affidavit.
Young, 29, was moving to Phoenix and had asked Milledge about the procedures for transporting guns. Milledge, 38, instead agreed to carry the bag through an employee entrance so it would not be screened by security.
"He carried a bag through that access for Young and then in the gate
area, he gave that bag to Young and Young carried it on the plane," said FBI spokesperson J.J. Klaver.
An alert fellow passenger saw the switch and, sensing that Milledge seemed "fidgety," raised concerns.
"This was an alert fellow passenger on the plane who observed activity in the gate area that was deemed suspicious," said Klaver. "It underscores the importance of vigilance and being aware of your surroundings and being aware of what's happening, not just in an airport but everywhere."
Young, already on the plane, allegedly denied to a US Airways manager that he had switched bags with anyone. The plane then started to taxi, but was soon called back to the gate so Young could be removed.
He then admitted the bag was his and both men gave statements, the FBI said. Milledge told agents he had grabbed the wrong laptop bag from their Philadelphia home that morning and was switching it back.
The gun is registered to Young, and he had a valid permit to carry it, authorities sa
id.
The men were in federal custody late Thursday with court appearances expected in the next few days. Neither had a listed telephone number, and they did not appear to be represented by counsel.
The Transportation Security Administration declined comment because of the FBI investigation, spokeswoman Ann Davis said.
US Airways Flight 1195 departed Philadelphia several hours later. In a statement, the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said only that additional passenger screening took place "after a concern was raised about a carry-on bag."
"We are cooperating with investigators fully and take security considerations very seriously," said the statement issued by spokesman Morgan Durrant.
2 Charged After Gun Found On PHL Plane
PHILADELPHIA - The FBI charged a US Airways employee with helping his roommate get a concealed, semiautomatic handgun onto a plane departing Philadelphia International Airport early Thursday.
Customer service agent Roshid Milledge switched black carry-on bags with passenger Damien Young at the gate so Young could board the 7 a.m. flight to Phoenix with the unloaded 9 mm weapon, the FBI said in an affidavit.
Young, 29, was moving to Phoenix and had asked Milledge about the procedures for transporting guns. Milledge, 38, instead agreed to carry the bag through an employee entrance so it would not be screened by security.
"He carried a bag through that access for Young and then in the gate
area, he gave that bag to Young and Young carried it on the plane," said FBI spokesperson J.J. Klaver.
An alert fellow passenger saw the switch and, sensing that Milledge seemed "fidgety," raised concerns.
"This was an alert fellow passenger on the plane who observed activity in the gate area that was deemed suspicious," said Klaver. "It underscores the importance of vigilance and being aware of your surroundings and being aware of what's happening, not just in an airport but everywhere."
Young, already on the plane, allegedly denied to a US Airways manager that he had switched bags with anyone. The plane then started to taxi, but was soon called back to the gate so Young could be removed.
He then admitted the bag was his and both men gave statements, the FBI said. Milledge told agents he had grabbed the wrong laptop bag from their Philadelphia home that morning and was switching it back.
The gun is registered to Young, and he had a valid permit to carry it, authorities sa
id.
The men were in federal custody late Thursday with court appearances expected in the next few days. Neither had a listed telephone number, and they did not appear to be represented by counsel.
The Transportation Security Administration declined comment because of the FBI investigation, spokeswoman Ann Davis said.
US Airways Flight 1195 departed Philadelphia several hours later. In a statement, the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline said only that additional passenger screening took place "after a concern was raised about a carry-on bag."
"We are cooperating with investigators fully and take security considerations very seriously," said the statement issued by spokesman Morgan Durrant.