A Delta Air Lines passenger was arrested Tuesday after allegedly breaching security at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California, stealing an Alaska Airlines baggage tug and crashing it into another vehicle on the airfield, airport officials said.
The incident happened around 5:30 p.m. when the passenger allegedly entered the airfield through Gate 12, took the tug and drove it toward another area of the airport. The vehicle later crashed into another vehicle near Gate 7.
Authorities said the passenger then attempted to take an American Airlines lavatory truck before Airport Police Services intervened and took the person into custody.
The passenger, who was scheduled to fly from Orange County to Seattle on a Delta flight, was later transported to a local hospital for evaluation.
Radio communications captured the unusual incident unfolding, with an air traffic controller warning pilots about the security breach. When a pilot asked about law enforcement activity, the controller replied: “Someone stole a tug.”
Flights were briefly halted as authorities responded, although airport officials clarified that no official ground stop was issued. The Gate 7 area was closed for about 10 minutes.
Airport officials said the incident did not have a significant impact on overall airport operations. Delta confirmed it was aware of the incident and referred questions to airport authorities and police.
The investigation into the airport security breach is ongoing.
