Passenger Arrested After TSA Uncovers Knife in Baseball Bat
Airport security officers in Florida were looking at a passenger's carry-on when something about a baseball bat-shaped flashlight didn't look quite right.
The flashlight was unusual enough to catch the attention of TSA Officer Andrew Carter as he watched the bag go through the X-ray machine at Tampa International Airport. He flagged it for a closer look.
That decision uncovered a knife hidden inside the flashlight. The Transportation Security Administration later shared photos of the discovery, joking that the attempted airport-security “hit” was anything but one.
The flashlight was tucked beneath the lining of the passenger's carry-on, where officers also found a toiletry kit. When Supervisory TSA Officer Michael Slaughter took a closer look, he noticed a line running along the shaft of the flashlight.
He twisted the handle. It came apart. Inside was a 4-inch, double-edged knife built into the handle. The whole thing was several inches taller than a 12-inch ruler shown in the TSA's photographs. The knife itself was about 4 inches long.
Passenger Denied Knowledge of Knife
At first, the passenger told officers he didn't know the knife was in the bag. That explanation didn't last.
Once Tampa International Airport Police arrived, the passenger admitted he had put the knife underneath the lining of the bag. According to TSA, he said he did it to save space. He was arrested and wasn't allowed to continue his trip.
The TSA's Instagram post about the discovery came with a little baseball-themed commentary.
“NOT a HIT,” the agency wrote, warning travelers not to bring the contraption through a checkpoint in a carry-on.
The agency also pointed out that knives are not permitted in carry-on bags. They can generally be packed in checked luggage, provided they're properly secured so they can't injure baggage handlers or inspectors.
The Passenger Had To Have Concealed It
This wasn't a case where the knife simply happened to be buried in someone's luggage. That distinction mattered to law enforcement. TSA says passengers who accidentally bring a knife to a checkpoint can sometimes surrender it and continue traveling. What happens after an item is discovered can depend on the circumstances, what the passenger says and how law enforcement assesses the situation.
In this case, the passenger was arrested instead. The discovery also came from a TSA officer noticing something that didn't quite add up on the X-ray. Carter had been working the checkpoint when he spotted the unusual-looking flashlight. Slaughter then found the hidden mass underneath the bag's lining and opened it up for a closer inspection.
What looked like an odd flashlight turned out to be something considerably more complicated. And considerably less welcome at an airport security checkpoint.
The TSA says passengers can face civil penalties for trying to bring prohibited items through security. The agency's website says the maximum civil penalty can reach $17,062 per violation per person, depending on the circumstances.
For this traveler, the problem wasn't just losing the knife. The trip ended at the airport, too.
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