Gun and Ammo Found on US Airways Plane at PHL Airport

by KYW's Tony Hanson

Authorities say a gun and ammunition were found inside a carry-on bag on a flight from Philadelphia International Airport Thursday morning. The flight was stopped as it was about to take off just after 7:00am and US Airways employee Roshid Milledge and a passenger, Damien Young, have now been charged in connection with the incident.  Authorities say the airline employee allegedly handed the bag with the gun to the passenger as he boarded the plane.  The flight was bound for Arizona.

According to preliminary information from investigators, someone waiting for a flight saw a US Airways employee hand a carry-on bag to a passenger beyond the security screening line.  After other passengers chatted about what they construed as suspicious activity, at least one person contacted the TSA.

The 7:10am flight, which was already taxiing out for departure, was called back and searched.

The bag was located on the plane and found to contain an unloaded 9mm handgun and ammunition.  The gun and the bag were confiscated, and the passenger and the US Airways employee were taken into custody for questioning.
 
The rest of the plane was searched as a precaution.

The FBI, Philadelphia police, and the TSA were continuing to investigate.  

The 7:15am US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Phoenix was canceled, and the 10:15am flight eventually took off about 11am. 

Jim Griffith, who was leaving for Washington on a later flight, seemed heartened that passengers had been vigilant:

"Well, passengers have to serve as a line of defense. You know, I think  everybody is in it together, so I hope everybody is in it together."

And Griffith hopes that airport security officials will learn from this incident so it won't happen again.

(File photo)