A man will appear before a judge on Monday after police say he brought a loaded gun onto a flight at O’Hare Airport in April.
Besnik Ismajlaj, 53, of St. Charles, was charged with a misdemeanor for carrying a concealed firearm at the airport.
On April 15, a TSA spokesperson stated that one of their officers discovered an image of a firearm during screening at Security Checkpoint 2 at Terminal 1. However, before police could seize the gun, Ismajlaj reached inside the X-ray machine, grabbed the bag, and left for his flight.
It was discovered that TSA agents acknowledged seeing the gun on the X-ray machine but did not notify police until after the passenger had cleared security and boarded his flight. An incident report stated that it occurred “during a shift change.”
Police body camera footage showed officers confronting him on the plane before escorting him off with a gun in his backpack.
According to the CPD incident report, police asked the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for upgraded charges against Ismajlaj, but the request was denied.
