Security: Mars man at airport says he forgot he had pistol in pocket
A Butler County man found with a loaded handgun at Pittsburgh International Airport told security officers that he forgot he had it with him, authorities said.
The man, who is from Mars, was stopped Tuesday with the .380-caliber pistol loaded with five bullets, including one in the chamber, in his jacket pocket, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
The gun was detected in the jacket — which the man had placed in a checkpoint bin — by the X-ray monitor.
The incident marked the fifth gun found at the Pittsburgh airport security checkpoint this year. In 2019, TSA officers found 35 firearms at the checkpoint. In 2018, officers seized 34 guns.
TSA contacted Allegheny County Police, which responded, confiscated the gun and detained the man for questioning. He was later released. Police did not immediately return a telephone call.
Authorities did not release the man's name because the incident remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.
This is an excerpt from a larger article that will appear in Thursday's Butler Eagle. Subscribe online or in print to read the full article.
