A woman driving with a small child in her car crashed through a gate at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and drove on the runway, Phoenix police said Friday.
The woman rammed the airport gate around 10 p.m. Thursday in a 1997 Saturn.
She started to cross an active runway, police spokesman Sgt. Trent Crump said. Officers forced the car to stop after a few minutes and arrested the driver.
Phoenix firefighters checked the woman an child for injuries and found none -- although they say the women did show signs of impairment.
"We are not aware of any inbound or outbound flights being put in danger as a result of the driver's actions, however, airport operations were disrupted for about 15 minutes for aircraft safety," stated Crump.
There is no information on the woman's motive. Her name is not yet available.
She is facing charges including criminal damage and criminal trespassing.
The incident was the latest involving vehicles crashing through the airport's gates or fences and getting onto its runways. Sky Harbor spent $10 million to upgrade its perimeter security and access gates after a man being chased by police in 2005 crashed a stolen pickup through a gate and drove onto the runways, passing several jets on a taxiway. In 2003, two teens in a stolen car crashed through a perimeter fence and drove onto the airfield. Both incidents caused brief closure of aircraft operations.
Police said they were not aware of any flights being endangered.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 4:31 PM EDT2013-05-22 20:31:37 GMT
An Army soldier has been charged with secretly photographing and videotaping women at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, including in a bathroom.
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An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police.
An emotional funeral service has been held for a Hofstra University student who was accidentally shot by police. Andrea Rebello's family followed the pastor Wednesday as he led her white cloth-draped coffin to the altar at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
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Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:27 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:27:26 GMT
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Black and Hispanic men are more likely to be stopped in the Bronx and Brooklyn than other boroughs, according to an analysis of police street stop data released Wednesday by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 12:10 PM EDT2013-05-22 16:10:42 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
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Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
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Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
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