(WXYZ) — A man is in custody after plowing his SUV into the Evans Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport on Friday morning, the Wayne County Airport Authority confirmed.
The car is registered to a home in Southgate. Neighbors confirm to 7 News Detroit that the driver, who was seen on video being taken into custody, lives right next door to them.
Watch our video report on his neighbors:
They say his bizarre behavior began overnight, with one of them saying the man was tossing objects from his yard into theirs.
"He did last night. He had us up at 2 o'clock in the morning, throwing all his garbage in our yard," Kathy Garvin said. " And our neighbor called the police first, and then after that, because we thought it was getting a little out of hand, and we called the police on them, and they didn't come out because they said they already came out once, and he yelled at the police and told them he was cleaning his yard."
Watch coverage in the video players below:
Tadarial Sturdivant, Senior Vice President of Emergency & Support Services for the Wayne County Airport Authority, said the 67-year-old man drove through barrier gaps and positioned his vehicle so he could drive through Door 4 of the Evans Terminal.
"A more permanent solution is in play through our design and construction crew, which are working on a permanent bollard system that would eliminate this type of situation," he said, noting that the gaps in the barriers currently were in line with ADA requirements.
Sturdivant said police were on the scene within 72 seconds, and at 9:41 a.m., the driver was taken into custody.
Watch the press conference with Sturdivant in the video player below:
"He made a statement upon being apprehended that he was there to meet with Tom Cruise and to save his dad," said Sturdivant.
Sturdivant said he seemed disoriented after the crash. No weapons were discovered in the incident, and a sweep of the area for explosives also came back negative, officials said.
According to officials, a woman was injured trying to avoid the vehicle, but she reportedly refused treatment and continued on her way. Airport officials report there were no serious injuries in the crash.
“All of a sudden, we heard a really loud car revving their engine, went right through the sliding glass doors, hit the cement blocks, and just kept going,” said one witness.
"We were standing in line in the TSA just waiting to get through security. Something told me to turn around. I looked over my shoulder, I saw the SUV pointed right in our direction, came flying through the doors, said 'get out of my way' and he just kept coming," said Sarah Smith, who witnessed the crash. "It was a very fearful moment. You had nothing but children and you know people standing everywhere, everybody running in different directions. When I heard the crash coming through the doors, the only thing you could think about is get out of the way."
In January, a car crashed into the McNamara Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport.
The investigation is ongoing.
Stay with wxyz.com for updates on this developing story.
