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BSO: Armed man breaches FLL fence, ends up on taxiway, leading to runway shutdown

Edward Lanahan (WPLG/BSO)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Deputies arrested a West Palm Beach man over the weekend after he jumped a fence at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and ended up on a taxiway, leading to a brief runway shutdown, according to court documents obtained by Local 10 News on Tuesday.

The incident happened during the early morning hours Saturday, according to an arrest report.

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The Broward Sheriff’s Office report states that Edward C. Lanahan, 38, jumped a barbed-wire perimeter gate at 650 SW 34th St. and ran onto taxiway Alpha, which is located next to runway 10L/28R.

His actions led officials to shut down the runway for 45 minutes, deputies said.

Broward County Aviation Department security officers detained Lanahan until a BSO deputy arrived.

That deputy said when he arrived, Lanahan was lying prone next to the taxiway sign with a .45 caliber Smith & Wesson gun within reach.

Lanahan, deputies said, said he used the gun to “defend himself against unknown suspects who were chasing him somewhere in the area of Perimeter Road” and said he “fired three warning shots at the suspects.”

The report states that deputies found three spent casings near Lanahan’s motorcycle outside the airport’s 234 gate.

Lanahan, whose left hand was bleeding from a barbed-wire puncture wound, was taken into custody just before 2:30 a.m. on charges of discharging a firearm in public, armed trespass and trespassing in a secure airport operational area.

His arrest report states that deputies found no indication that he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Lanahan remained held in the BSO Main Jail as of Tuesday on a $6,500 bond.


About the Author
Chris Gothner headshot

Chris Gothner joined the Local 10 News team in 2022 as a Digital Journalist.

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