Heroic passengers stop disguised teen who boarded flight with shotgun

Three heroic passengers were able to detain a 17-year-old boy who allegedly dressed as a maintenance worker to board a Jetstar flight at an Australian airport — with a shotgun and ammunition, police said.Terror swept through Sydney-bound Flight 610 on Thursday morning when the boy, who has yet to be publicly identified, snuck through a hole in the security fencing at Avalon Airport and boarded the flight with a shotgun in tow, Victoria police said in a statement.The teen, however, was quickly overpowered by three civilians who tossed caution to the wind to save their fellow passengers, pinning the 17-year-old to the floor until security arrived.

“All I could do was push [the flight attendant] out of the way, get the gun out of the way, break that, throw it down the stairs, and then put him in a hold and throw him to the ground until the police come,” passenger Barry Clark told local ABC Radio.Clark, who was sitting in the front row, said he watched as the teen began arguing with a flight attendant, noting that the suspect was “perfectly dressed for the job” of a regular maintenance worker.

As the argument grew heated, the teen pulled out the gun, spurring Clark and two other passengers into action to help the flight attendant and prevent tragedy on the plane, which was carrying 160 passengers.“You don’t think, you act.

I’ve been taught from a boy to be responsible and look after others,” Clarke said.“And we’re a sporting family, so I was quietly confident I could handle him … so you just gotta do what you gotta do,” he added.

Kim McLeod, another passenger on the flight, said that the flight attendant was able to stop the suspect near the door because the maintenance crew had already cleared the plane for take off.The suspect’s sudden appearance with his attire immediately raised suspicion, McLeod told the Guardian.

After Clark and the other passengers detained the teen, police and airport security quickly arrived to take the suspect ...