Man accused of security breach, causing airport chaos ‘couldn’t wait for flight,’ police say

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - Authorities say a man accused of causing chaos at a Las Vegas airport has been arrested and is facing several charges from incidents over the weekend.

According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, 33-year-old Stefan Hutchison is accused of violating airport conduct, resisting arrest and burglary at Harry Reid International Airport.

According to KVVU, Hutchison was involved in two separate incidents, one on Aug. 13 and another on Aug. 14, leading to several delayed flights and cancellations.

Police said they first made contact with Hutchison on Aug. 13 when an officer was flagged down by a Transportation Security Administration agent after the 33-year-old reportedly breached a security checkpoint.

TSA agents said they tried to stop Hutchison multiple times, even standing in front of him and making a stop motion with their hands, but Hutchison didn’t comply.

According to police, Hutchison reportedly walked out of a store with a pair of sunglasses and yelled inside the terminal before resisting arrest.

On Aug. 14, at about 4:35 a.m., police said Hutchison was involved in another incident when an officer reported hearing loud banging sounds from the ticketing area.

The officer said he went to the ticketing area and a Spirit Airlines employee told him that a man, later identified as Hutchison, pushed past employees through a door to the secured area.

Authorities said three Spirit Airlines employees had caught Hutchison after the breach and the 33-year-old was taken into custody. However, the loud noises, which were later identified as line dividers falling to the floor, had sent thousands of travelers fleeing the area.

According to Hutchison’s arrest report, the officer said the airport was extremely busy at the time of the incident, which sent hundreds of travelers running through security without being screened along with people getting trampled as they escaped the ticketing area.

Police said Hutchison told them he arrived in Las Vegas on Aug. 12. However, he said he was ready to return home as soon as possible and couldn’t wait for his scheduled Monday flight.

Las Vegas police said that the hundreds of travelers who rushed through the security checkpoints without being cleared had to be called back for proper screening before being allowed to board their flights.