newswatcher
15th Aug 2002, 14:52
And still they don't get the message, story from San Francisco Chronicle(14/8):
"San Jose police arrested a man Tuesday after finding a loaded handgun in his backpack as he passed through a security checkpoint at San Jose International Airport.
William Howard Simmons, 57, of Cheyenne, Wyo., was headed for a United Airlines flight with his family when he was detained. He remained behind bars at the Santa Clara County Jail today on suspicion of carrying a concealed and loaded weapon.
A security screener spotted the gun inside the man's backpack as it passed through the X-ray machine in Terminal C at 2:45 p.m. and immediately notified her supervisor, said Sgt. Steve Dixon.
The supervisor saw the image on the screen and summoned a nearby police officer, who checked the bag and found a small .380 semiautomatic handgun loaded with four rounds. The officer called for backup and then attempted to arrest Simmons, Dixon said.
Simmons told police he did not want to be handcuffed and resisted arrest, Dixon said. During the struggle, Simmons began to hyperventilate and was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
Simmons, who takes medication for an unknown ailment, was treated at the hospital and released into police custody.
Dixon said Simmons drove to California in a motor home with his wife and two children and told investigators he forgot that the weapon was in his backpack. Simmons and his family were supposed to take a flight to Los Angeles for a connecting flight to Hawaii.
"He said he was surprised (the gun) was in the backpack," Dixon said. Despite Simmons' claim, police said he faces misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed and loaded firearm in a public place and possibly federal firearms charges.
"It's a violation of the law. It's a loaded handgun, you can't be sloppy with it," Dixon said. "You have to know where it is at all time."
"San Jose police arrested a man Tuesday after finding a loaded handgun in his backpack as he passed through a security checkpoint at San Jose International Airport.
William Howard Simmons, 57, of Cheyenne, Wyo., was headed for a United Airlines flight with his family when he was detained. He remained behind bars at the Santa Clara County Jail today on suspicion of carrying a concealed and loaded weapon.
A security screener spotted the gun inside the man's backpack as it passed through the X-ray machine in Terminal C at 2:45 p.m. and immediately notified her supervisor, said Sgt. Steve Dixon.
The supervisor saw the image on the screen and summoned a nearby police officer, who checked the bag and found a small .380 semiautomatic handgun loaded with four rounds. The officer called for backup and then attempted to arrest Simmons, Dixon said.
Simmons told police he did not want to be handcuffed and resisted arrest, Dixon said. During the struggle, Simmons began to hyperventilate and was taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution.
Simmons, who takes medication for an unknown ailment, was treated at the hospital and released into police custody.
Dixon said Simmons drove to California in a motor home with his wife and two children and told investigators he forgot that the weapon was in his backpack. Simmons and his family were supposed to take a flight to Los Angeles for a connecting flight to Hawaii.
"He said he was surprised (the gun) was in the backpack," Dixon said. Despite Simmons' claim, police said he faces misdemeanor charges of carrying a concealed and loaded firearm in a public place and possibly federal firearms charges.
"It's a violation of the law. It's a loaded handgun, you can't be sloppy with it," Dixon said. "You have to know where it is at all time."