The busiest airport in the world once again endured a security breach in less than a month in which a man — who is 22 years of age — wandered near a runway without authorization yesterday, Tuesday, July 10, 2018 prior to 2:00 in the morning, according to multiple media sources.
Security Breach at World’s Busiest Airport — Again Within One Month
E’Donis T. Andrews was allegedly inebriated when he was walking along an internal access road which circles around the perimeter within the secure area of the international airport that serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area; was arrested by law enforcement officers of the Atlanta Police Department without incident on a charge of one count of criminal trespass; and taken to the Clayton County Jail.
How Andrews somehow got past the barbed wire fence which surrounds the perimeter of the airport remains a mystery at the time this article was written. An investigation is currently under way, as Andrews would not reveal how he did it; and no evidence of a breach in the perimeter had yet been found.
The official statement from the Atlanta Police Department was that “Despite the fact that an individual made his way past the perimeter fence, our multi-layered security approach and response worked exactly the way it’s supposed to and immediately mitigated any threat. Officers arrived on the scene within three minutes of getting the call and apprehended the suspect without incident.”
Andrews reportedly has a prior criminal record — including an arrest for trespassing in Fulton County.
Previous Security Breach — Update
After an airplane landed at the international airport which serves the greater Atlanta metropolitan area, Jhyrin Jones — who is 19 years of age and was dressed only in his underwear — allegedly attempted to board an airplane while it was on the taxiway shortly prior to 5:00 in the afternoon on Tuesday, June 26, 2018; and the incident was caught on video.
Specifically, Jones inexplicably scaled and jumped over the aforementioned fence, ran towards an airplane on the taxiway, jumped onto the wing, and pounded on the windows of the airplane. Within five minutes after the incident was reported, Jones was arrested by multiple law enforcement officers as he was handcuffed while lying on the taxiway. Minor cuts and scrapes were found on his body at the time of his arrest. He was charged with criminal trespassing, obstruction of law enforcement, damage to property, and public indecency for exposing himself to passengers of an airplane.
Unlike Andrews — who was arrested without incident — Jones attempted numerous times to escape from law enforcement officers by kicking the patrol vehicle; and demonstrated an unusual demeanor by performing a back flip and throwing his body around while being placed into a patrol car.
As law enforcement officers of the Atlanta Police Department investigate the incident, Jones appeared in court on the morning of Wednesday, June 27, 2018, where his bizarre behavior reportedly continued. The judge gave Jones an $18,000.00 bond.
Summary
Although official personnel of the airport attempted to assuage the fears of the traveling public by assuring that no one was ever in danger as a result of both of these incidents, one cannot help but wonder how else the secure area of the airport can be breached — and whether or not those possible breaches pose a threat of some type to all of the people who use the airport.
Regardless, two breaches within one month — no matter how minor — are two breaches too many; and that record does not promote trust that the airport is as safe and secure as possible.
Photograph ©2015 by Brian Cohen.
