Man with fake gun sparks panic at Orlando Airport
A man with an apparent death wish is in custody after bringing panic to Orlando International Airport.
Michael Wayne Pettigrew, 26, caused a two-hour standoff with police near a car rental pickup area after he was spotted brandishing a gun.
That sparked a panic in the area with passengers fleeing for cover and a response from dozens of law enforcement officers.
Pettigrew was waving the gun at police and shouting ‘shoot me, shoot me.’
"When the officers got there, they realized this was a person in mental distress and basically wanted to do the whole suicide by cop thing," Orlando Police Chief John Mina said.
The situation was contained within the car rental facility with a limited number of arriving flights disrupted, the airport said.
"He laid down on the ground with the gun very close by to him. Our negotiators did a phenomenal job of talking with the subject for about two hours and finally got him to peacefully surrender," Mina said, adding that the gun turned out to be a fake.
Former Marine Pettigrew faces the charge of aggravated assault with a firearm but is currently being held for a mental evaluation.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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