Newsstand - Skateboarder Halts Denver Airport

December 21, 2002

Skateboarder Halts Denver Airport
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 3:09 a.m. ET

DENVER (AP) -- Passenger screening at Denver International Airport was shut down for about an hour while officials tried to determine whether a teenager running the wrong way on an escalator had evaded security checks.

Officials confirmed the teen had just gotten off a flight from New York's LaGuardia Airport and had not breached security. Passenger screening resumed by 6 p.m. Friday.

Authorities finally found the teen skateboarding on the platform for the trains that take passengers between the terminal and departure gates.

The boy's name was not released. Authorities were considering whether to file disorderly conduct charges.

Long lines of holiday travelers formed at the screening stations during the wait.

Are they going to file charges against the skateboarder or the officials for their foolish conduct?

They should hold the TSA responsible not the child!

As much as I dislike the TSA, this boardboy knew **** well what he was doing. I hope his parents take away the board and make him do extra math homework for six months! But given parents nowadays I won't hold my breath. They'll probably sue the TSA for mental anguish.

I was at the airport when this happened sitting in a bar just across from the security area. We started noticing the line snaking around back out of security.

I also found out how something a machine screener sees can just 'slip' by. There is very little organization or control exercised when one of the screeners at the machines notices something that requires further investigation.

In my case, it was a little flashlight attached to my keychain. Had I not known that the screener at the machine wanted my purse checked and waved the other screener down asking if she needed to check my purse, I could have just walked away, been down the escalator, and on a train to the concourses. Of course, that would have undoubtedly caused them to shut everything down until they found me and my highly dangerous tiny flashlight.