Man with gun in custody after airport standoff

An armed man who went to the rental-car area inside an Orlando International Airport terminal was taken into custody after a standoff of more than 21⁄2 hours Tuesday night, authorities said.

The man surrendered after speaking to a crisis negotiator, according to the Orlando Police Department. No shots were fired.

“You’re not going to prison, Michael, you’re going to the hospital,” an officer told the man in a video posted to Twitter from a witness huddled behind a service counter in the airport.

“Please don’t lie to me, sir,” the man yelled back. His full names was not available Tuesday night.

Authorities swarmed the airport after receiving the report at 7:24 p.m. The suspect’s friend called authorities and told them the suspect was at the airport and said he wanted to die, a law enforcement source said.

The man had the weapon on the first floor of the airport in the rental-car area, Greater Orlando Aviation Authority spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said.

Glorializ Colón Plaza, 20, said her workday at Virgin Atlantic was just wrapping up when she saw people hiding. She got off the elevator and saw the man on the floor near the rental-car area. He was screaming; police had surrounded him.

“I couldn’t make out the words, but he was screaming really loud,” she said. “Everyone there told me right before this happened, a man said to everyone: ‘You’re going to need mental therapy after this,’ then he pulled out a gun and everyone ran.”

Plaza said she didn’t hear any gunshots or see anyone injured.

“I saw all the cops with the long rifles and started shaking,” she said. “It didn’t seem real.”

The incident caused some disruption for passengers attempting to come through the airport. Mike Walsh and his girlfriend, Celeste Peloquin, said they arrived about 8:30 p.m. on a Southwest flight from Delaware into Terminal A.

They saw officers with police dogs directing people. They eventually found their way to the baggage claim and hopped on a shuttle to one of the long-term offsite lots.

“It was scary,” said Peloquin, of The Villages. “The airport was lit up like Christmas.”

Fennell said law enforcement officers cleared the first floor. Terminal A was shut down, and traffic entering the airport came to a standstill.

All roads leading to the airport were shut down after the incident, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. Troopers were telling those in the area to “stay in your vehicle and away from law enforcement personnel.”

By about 9:15 p.m., officials appeared to be letting some traffic into the area.

James Roland, a supervisor at Wally Park, an offsite airport lot, said he had customers who were stuck at the airport after arriving.

“We didn’t know what was going on — we just knew it was big,” he said.

Orange County deputies and the Maitland and Winter Park police departments also responded to the scene.

The incident was first reported as a weapons call, according to online call logs.

“A man said to everyone: ‘You’re going to need mental therapy after this,’ then he pulled out a gun.” Glorializ Colón Plaza, witness