CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Florida man was arrested Saturday after he stole a car, crashed through an airport fence and then boarded a Coast Guard C-130 aircraft, investigators said.
The Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office said Herrera Hamilton Moreno crashed through the fence at the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport around 4:48 a.m., WTSP reported.
Deputies said they noticed a suspicious vehicle driving in an area where commercial aircraft were parked and attempted to stop the driver. The driver continued to an area where there is a U.S. Coast Guard Station.
The pursuit ended after Moreno, 36, crashed into a large hangar and started running. He was in the cockpit of a C-130 aircraft when deputies took him into custody.
Moreno was arrested and charged with fleeing and eluding, trespassing, grand theft auto, being a habitual traffic offender, burglary and two counts of criminal mischief, according to the sheriff’s office. Federal charges are pending.
Investigators determined Moreno first drove through a fence surrounding the airport in a vehicle that was reported stolen out of Tampa earlier in the day.
There were no injuries. No aircraft were damaged.
Deputies Investigate After Tampa Man Crashes Stolen Vehicle Through Airport Fence: https://t.co/yMOsQpZiSF pic.twitter.com/kRQH2qNA82
— Pinellas SO (@SheriffPinellas) July 17, 2021
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