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An intoxicated man claiming to be the CEO of the Toronto Raptors caused chaos at Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport earlier this month, causing at least one plane to be canceled and leading security into a brief chase around parked planes.
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The action, documented in a video published last week by popular YouTuber VASAviationbegan a little after 7 p.m. on August 16.
“An unknown passenger boarded our plane,” a person aboard a Porter Airlines plane that had just arrived in Toronto from Newark, New Jersey, told the radio.
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Shortly thereafter, a second Porter aircraft parked at an adjacent gate radioed the tower to request gate security.
That’s when C-GKWM, a Cessna 172 owned by Island Flight School and Charters, taxied onto the apron and was offered a front row seat to watch the action.
“Looks like there’s some commotion at Gate 7,” the pilot told the tower.
“This looks like a security incident on one of the Dash-8s,” the tower controller told the Cessna.
“You see better than me.”
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In response, the Cessna pilot reports a “passenger running around” the apron – the restricted area around the gates where parked planes load and unload passengers.
“He was just running from Gate 8 to Gate 7,” the pilot said.
“I think he was just stopped by security.”
Eyewitnesses suggest a drunken man entered a number of planes, telling crews he was the CEO of the Toronto Raptors.
A video commentator suggests that the man managed to reach the back of a plane and open the rear door of the plane to exit.
Attempts by security services to contain the accused apparently failed.
“Not at all,” the Cessna pilot replied to the tower controller after asking if the suspect was under control.
“He’s running away from some guys here. They can’t contain him.”
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This prompted the tower controller to cancel the landing clearance for his next flight, Jazz 7975 from Montreal, and to inform other aircraft waiting to land of the situation.
“There is a person loose on the apron, so I can’t give you clearance to land,” she said.
Shortly afterwards, police and security services managed to arrest the man.
Ports Toronto, which operates the airport, acknowledged the incident and said airport operations quickly returned to normal.
“Security personnel and the Toronto Police Service responded immediately and the individual was taken into custody,” said Jessica Pellerin, a spokesperson for Ports Toronto. Toronto Sun.
“Airport and airline personnel completed all security checks as required by Transport Canada Security Regulations and normal service resumed within approximately one hour.”
A statement from Porter confirmed the incident, saying authorities were alerted quickly and the individual was apprehended.
“The incident caused temporary delays while the area was secured,” the statement said.
Requests for information by the The Toronto Sun to Toronto police for details about the accused and charges were not returned.
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