Local

TSA prevents man from taking loaded gun onto plane at Charlotte-Douglas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officers with the Transportation Security Administration have prevented a man from taking a loaded gun onto an airplane at a North Carolina airport.

A news release from TSA said a man was stopped at a checkpoint at Charlotte Douglas International Airport shortly after 7 a.m. Wednesday. A security officer spotted the .380 handgun as the man's carry-on bag went down the conveyor belt into the x-ray machine.

The officer contacted the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, which responded to the checkpoint. The passenger was questioned by police and was cited for carrying a weapon on airport property.

In 2017, TSA officers have detected 51 firearms at Charlotte Douglas checkpoints, compared to 54 firearms in all of 2016.