"TSA: Attendant brought gun on flight"

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Flight attendant arrested for weapon
By LUBNA TAKRURI
The Associated Press


WASHINGTON -- A uniformed flight attendant was arrested at Dulles
International Airport after she turned herself in for allegedly carrying a
concealed handgun aboard a flight from Atlanta, authorities said Saturday.

The Transportation Security Administration, the FBI and other law
enforcement agencies were investigating how the gun passed through security
unnoticed in Atlanta, TSA spokesman Barry Phelps said. Flight attendants
have to go through the same security procedures as all other passengers, he
said.

Janet Tucker, 45, of Lithonia, Ga., turned herself in Friday for carrying
the weapon on United flight 7591, said Rob Yingling, a spokesman for the
Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. She was in uniform but was not
part of the duty crew at the time, he said.

"It seems it was an inadvertent incident, from her description," he said.

Tucker was arrested and cited on charges of having a concealed weapon at the
airport. She was interviewed and released on a summons to appear in Loudoun
County Court in Virginia at a future date, Yingling said. It was not clear
whether a court date had been scheduled and he didn't know whether Tucker
had a lawyer.

United Airlines spokesman Jeff Kovick said a United employee had been
arrested but would not confirm any other information.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport spokesman Herschel Grangent
had no further comment. A telephone message seeking comment from FBI
officials in Atlanta was not immediately returned.

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