Arrest report: Man who climbed onto wing of plane admitted to mental illness
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — The man accused of climbing onto the wing of a commercial airplane at Las Vegas's airport told police he was mentally ill, according to an arrest report.
Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested Alejandro Carlson, 41, on Saturday after he allegedly got onto the wing of an Alaskan Airlines flight at McCarran International Airport.
In their arrest report, police write that airport dispatch was alerted to a man running across two active runways around 1:35 p.m.
A captain in the Alaskan Airlines flight alerted the flight control tower moments later that the man was running toward his plane, waving his arms.
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The man then ran to the back of the plane and climbed onto the left wing, police say. Officers assigned to the airport arrived and tried to talk the man down from the wing.
Eventually, the man got up and "shimmied his way off the tip of the wing," falling to the ground, according to the report. Carlson was placed in custody and taken to UMC with a broken nose and some small cuts.
After receiving a medical exam, Carlson spoke with a counter-terrorism sergeant with LVMPD.
"Carlson admitted to being mentally ill," police wrote. "In brief, he said he had a 'story' to tell the world and believed that if he jumped on the wing of an aircraft, he would be likely to have a bigger audience."
Police say 72 passengers were on board the flight, including three federal air marshals. Air traffic control stopped all landings during the incident, but no planes were diverted, according to airport officials.
Carlson faces charges of trespassing and disregard for the safety of persons or property.
