Car Smashes Through Airport Gate, Hits Plane Before Two Flee on Foot
Two people were arrested after a driver crashed through a locked gate at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona and hit a small plane on Saturday, October 17. Phoenix police had been trying to stop their vehicle as part of an investigation involving an illegal street racing group.
Officers first spotted the vehicle around 11 p.m. in Phoenix. According to FOX 10 Phoenix, the driver refused to stop, and police began tracking the vehicle as it crossed into Scottsdale.
Phoenix Police Sgt. Chris Berrelleza said detectives launched a GPS tracking device onto the car’s rear bumper and monitored it from a police helicopter. Officers weren’t chasing the car on the ground as it headed toward Scottsdale Airport.
The driver eventually stopped at a locked security gate on the west side of the airport. When detectives approached, the car backed into one of their vehicles before accelerating forward and smashing through the gate.
Car Hits Plane Parked Inside Airport Hangar
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The car made it onto an active runway area before hitting a wall. Scottsdale Police spokesperson Aaron Bolin told The Arizona Republic that the vehicle also struck a private hangar and a plane parked inside it.
The plane was empty at the time. In audio aired by FOX 10, an air traffic controller warned pilots about a police helicopter circling Scottsdale Airport and a police chase that had reached the airfield.
Another message was directed to a Flexjet crew. The controller said a suspect was already in custody, but someone was still checking to make sure the runway wasn’t blocked.
Driver and Passenger Run Toward Airport Tarmac
Both people jumped out of the car and ran toward the tarmac, according to Phoenix police. Officers caught up with them, but the man resisted arrest, and police used a taser on him.
Police identified the two as Liberty Dawn Still, 33, and Michael Gregory Wall, 24. Both were taken to jail on felony charges, although the department did not provide a list of the specific charges.
FBI Investigates Airport Trespassing
Scottsdale police also responded to the airport and took reports on the damaged gate, hangar and aircraft. Bolin said the crash didn’t interrupt airport operations.
The FBI was brought in to investigate the pair’s entry into the airport’s restricted area. Phoenix police said the federal investigation would focus on the trespassing.
