After Attempting to Attack TSA Agents With a Machete, Man and TSA Agent are Shot by Officer

A machete-wielding man who slashed at TSA officers and sprayed them with wasp spray was shot by a non-TSA officer Friday night at Armstrong International Airport.

The incident sent passengers and airport employees scrambling to safety and affected flights arriving from and departing from concourse B.

​​The suspect, 63-year-old Richard White, was taken to the hospital and was last said to be in surgery, according to Sheriff Newell Normand.

Normand said eyewitnesses reported that White approached a TSA agent and sprayed that person in the face with wasp spray from a can. Normand said White got past the first agent and headed for the second TSA agent, again spraying the wasp spray, before pulling out a machete and striking another agent, who grabbed a piece of luggage for protection.

Normand said the third TSA agent called a JPSO officer on duty for help. As White continued to chase the agent while swinging the machete, Lt. Heather Slyve, who was assigned to the gate, showed up on the scene and fired three times, striking White. The TSA agent who had been fleeing White’s attack was also struck by a bullet, but her injury was not life-threatening. (Read more from “After Attempting to Attack TSA Agents With a Machete, Man Gets Shot by Officer” HERE)

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