A man in Waco, Texas, crashed through a security gate and tried to steal a Learjet from the city’s regional airport Thursday, police said.
Police did not identify the man, but Waco police Sgt. Patrick Swanton said he is "known to our department and has a history of mental issues."
Shortly after noon local time (1 p.m. ET) the man — who police also believe may have been using narcotics — crashed his vehicle through a security gate, giving him access to the airport’s tarmac, police said in a statement.
Employees from Texas Aero, an aircraft operator at the airport, saw the man trying to remove the jet’s tire chocks and get inside, police said.
"Our line professionals questioned the individual and when he became belligerent were on point alerting law enforcement," a brief account of the incident published on Texas Aero’s Facebook page said.
An off-duty police officer who was working as airport security approached the man, who was armed with a stick and refused commands, police said.
The officer used a Taser stun gun but it had no effect. The officer, along with Texas Aero employees, "physically restrained" the man and handcuffed him, police said. The man was transported to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation, police said.
Authorities expect him to be charged with criminal trespass, attempted theft, criminal mischief and resisting arrest, police said.