Two Suspected Street Racers Arrested After Driving Through Security Gate at Scottsdale Airport and Striking Parked Aircraft
Why It MattersGround-side perimeter breaches by vehicles are a security exposure for general aviation airports, where parked aircraft and hangars sit behind fencing and gates rather than terminal-style controls.
Two suspected street racers drove through a security gate at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona and struck a parked aircraft while attempting to evade police, according to court documents released Monday. The suspects, Liberty Dawn Still, 33, and Michael Gregory Wall, 24, face a combined eight charges. The incident occurred while other aircraft were taking off and landing.
Phoenix police initially tried to stop a Dodge Challenger associated with a street-racing group after seeing it obstructing traffic. When the driver refused to pull over, officers attached a GPS tracking device and followed the vehicle by helicopter. After the car reached Scottsdale Airport, Still allegedly reversed into a detective's vehicle and then accelerated through a locked security gate. She drove near several parked aircraft before crashing through a closed hangar door and hitting an unoccupied aircraft. Both suspects got out of the vehicle and tried to flee on foot; officers arrested Still and used a stun gun on Wall after he allegedly resisted arrest.
Phoenix police Sgt. Chris Berrelleza said that entering an active runway "can be potentially catastrophic," adding that officers and detectives were able to take the suspects into custody. Still now faces five charges, including unlawful flight from law enforcement, while Wall faces allegations including assaulting an officer and resisting arrest. The FBI is investigating the airport trespassing, and additional charges remain possible. The incident follows a similar breach in August, when a driver fleeing police crashed through a perimeter fence and struck a parked aircraft at Portsmouth International Airport in New Hampshire.
