ST. PETERSBURG, Fla — A Tampa Florida man is behind bars after breaking into an airplane at St. Petersburg Airport Saturday morning, Pinellas deputies say.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to reports of a suspicious vehicle at the airport around 4:48 a.m.
Deputies say they attempted to stop the driver, identified as 36-year-old Herrera Hamilton Moreno, but Moreno eluded them and drove to the U.S. Coast Guard station and crashed through the security gate.
Moreno then allegedly jumped out of the car in a hangar and ran to a parked C-130, a type of military transport plane. He managed to get into the cockpit, where deputies arrested him.
The sheriff’s office said no one was harmed, and none of the aircraft were damaged. The vehicle Moreno was driving was reported stolen Friday, July 16.
"Through the investigation, it was determined Moreno drove through fencing surrounding the property before driving to the runway. The vehicle was reported stolen from Tampa earlier in the evening."
Moreno is charged with fleeing and eluding, trespassing, grand theft auto, habitual traffic offender, burglary, and two counts of criminal mischief. He also faces federal charges.
