Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2022 | 2:26 p.m.
Stefan Mathias Hutchison
A California man accused of causing a panic Sunday at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas was arrested after he charged through a Spirit Airlines ticket counter, according to Metro Police.
Stefan Hutchison, 33, of Oakland, Calif., was arrested at the airport shortly after 4:30 a.m. Sunday after he pushed past a Spirit employee into a secured area at Terminal 1, police said.
As officers were responding to the incident, a series of 10 loud bangs mistaken for gunshots caused travelers to charge through a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint without being screened, police said.
The noise that caused the panic turned out to be line-dividing stanchions falling on the floor, police said.
By the time officers responded to the Spirit desk to arrest Hutchison, he was struggling with three airport employees, police said.
The Spirit employee Hutchison allegedly pushed hit her head and was transported to a hospital, police said.
About 8 a.m. Saturday, Hutchison was seen taking a pair of $170 sunglasses from a store at the airport, police said.
Officers were alerted by TSA agents as he was exiting a screening checkpoint, and he was taken into custody, according to a Metro arrest report.
In that case, he was ultimately released on his own recognizance and returned to the airport the next day, police said.
Hutchison was booked at the Clark County Detention Center on counts of resisting a public officer, airport rules violations and burglary of a business stemming from the two incidents, according to jail records.
No serious injuries were reported in Sunday’s incident, but social media posts showed people running.
Dozens of commercial flights in and out of Las Vegas were canceled or delayed. Passengers who had been screened by the TSA were required to be screened again at security checkpoints before boarding their flights.
Hutchison is scheduled to make an appearance Wednesday in Las Vegas Justice Court, according to court records.
