Body camera video shows arrest of man who brought loaded gun on plane at O'Hare Airport
Newly released video shows the moment Chicago police removed a passenger from a flight at O'Hare International Airport last month moments before takeoff, after the man brought a loaded gun on board.
A Chicago police report indicates the security scare happened during a shift change for TSA officers at the security checkpoint where the man entered the terminal.
Besnik Ismajlaj, 53, of St. Charles, was charged with a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm at the airport.
On the day of the incident on April 15, a TSA spokesperson said one of their officers detected an image of a firearm during screening at Security Checkpoint 2 at Terminal 1, but before police could confiscate the gun, Ismajlaj reached inside the X-ray machine, grabbed the bag, and left for his flight.
CBS News Chicago learned TSA agents acknowledged seeing the gun on the X-ray machine, but did not alert police until after the passenger had already been cleared through security and boarded his flight.
According to a Chicago Police Department incident report, a TSA supervisor told officers the incident happened with a shift change, and Ismajlaj walked away into the terminal with the bag where the gun had been found.
CBS News Chicago contacted the TSA for clarity on why a shift change would've prevented someone with a gun from being taken into custody, but has yet to hear back.
After another traveler in the security line helped provide a description of Ismajlaj, police were able to track him down to the gate where he'd already boarded his flight.
Police body camera footage showed officers confronting him on the plane, and then taking him with a gun in his backpack off the plane.
When officers spoke to Ismajlaj on the plane, they asked if he knew why they were there, and he told them, "Yeah, it's in my bag," the CPD report states.
After escorting him off the plane, police then unzipped his bag and found a loaded Glock 9mm semiautomatic pistol in the front pocket.
The explanation for how Ismajlaj was able to get on a plane with a gun leaves at least one aviation expert unsatisfied.
"I think it's pretty clear that somebody at TSA was not paying attention, because shift change or no, I mean, that's when you have to pay more attention," said Robert Mark, a pilot and former air traffic controller.
The CPD incident report states police asked the Cook County State's Attorney's office for upgraded charges against Ismajlaj, but the request was denied. He faces a misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed firearm at an airport. He is due back in court on June 9.
