Man Boards Plane at John Wayne Carrying a Gun
Police at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago found a small gun on an American Airlines passenger Tuesday shortly after the man disembarked from a flight from Orange County’s John Wayne Airport in Southern California, authorities said.
Charles Piel, 26, of Carlsbad, Calif., was arrested about 3:20 p.m. by Chicago police after the pilot of an American Airlines jet radioed the control tower that the man had been smoking marijuana in one of the plane’s restrooms, said Mort Edelstein, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Police and FAA officials met the flight, and Piel was arrested after a search revealed a small amount of marijuana and the gun, Edelstein said.
The gun, called a penchant clip pen gun, resembles a standard writing pen but contains one 22-caliber bullet, Edelstein said.
The FAA spokesman said he did not know whether the gun was able to be fired.
FAA officials are investigating how Piel managed to get the gun past electronic screening systems at the John Wayne Airport, where the flight originated, Edelstein said.
Preliminary charges filed Tuesday against Piel include felony possession of cannabis and unlawful use of a weapon, Edelstein said.
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