Man Tries to Steal Learjet While Armed With A Stick, Texas Police Say
The Waco Police said that the suspect had a history of mental illness.
— -- A man armed with a stick tried to steal a Learjet in Texas this afternoon after careening through a security gate with a car, police said.
The man, who has not been identified, has a history of mental illness and was known to the Waco Police Department, according to a statement the department issued after the incident.
The suspect crashed through a gate at the Waco Regional Airport using a car and was spotted by Texas Aero employees as he was reportedly "attempting to remove the tire chocks and get into the jet."
Waco Airport Director Joel Martinez told ABC News that several employees told the man he wasn’t allowed to be there, but his only comment was "I’m nobody, don’t worry about it."
An off-duty police officer was flagged down by the employees who then confronted the man. The Waco police said that the jet belonged to a local business but did not identify the company.
The man was "tazed several times with no affect," the police department reported, and he was physically restrained by officers and airport employees who were able to subdue him, and he has since been taken to a nearby hospital for a mental evaluation.
He is expected to face criminal trespass, attempted theft, criminal mischief and resisting arrest charges once cleared by his evaluation, the Waco police said in their statement.
His name will be released once he is charged, though he may face additional federal charges.
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