ROMULUS (WWJ) -- A driver was arrested on Friday after crashing a car into the Evans Terminal at Detroit Metro Airport.
According to the Wayne County Airport Authority, there were no injuries in the crash, shortly before 10 a.m. on May 29.
Photos from the scene show a black Cadillac inside the terminal.
Jon Hewett/WWJ
Reporting from the scene, WWJ's Jon Hewett said this happened at the last drop-off point on the departures deck Evans Terminal, Door 4, where Alaska Airlines and Sun Country are located.
"And what happened here is a Cadillac, the driver of a Cadillac, went up over the curb in one specific area that does not have cement blockage, as far as partitions that had been set up after a previous incident here," Hewett reported, "and drove up in through the doorway and into the terminal, down a hallway — roughly maybe 30, 40 yards."
Photos show the glass doors busted, and the Cadillac fully inside the terminal building.
Scene of crash into Metro Airport, man in handcuffs.
Jaime Greene - State Representative
Michigan Rep. Jaime Greene said her husband was there. She posted photos showing a large police presence, and a man in denim clothing being handcuffed by officers.
At an afternoon news conference, officials confirmed that that man was Cadillac driver, around 67 years old — arrested within seconds of the crash.
Why did he do it?
Wayne County Airport Authority's Senior Vice President of Emergency and Support Services & Operations Tadarial Sturdivant alluded to some mental health health issues potentially at play.
"He made the statement, upon being apprehended, that he was there to meet with (actor) Tom Cruise, and to save his dad," Sturdivant said, nothing that the man was disoriented.
"He was the only person in the vehicle at the time," Sturdivant said.
At this time, officials would not release any further details about the man, including his name or city of residence.
Later in the day, Sturdivant said investigators were continuing to interview the driver.
There was a limited disruption in airport service, with some travels not being allowed to access the terminal for a time, but officials said all operations at DTW have since returned to normal.
This is the second time in a year that a car crashed into Metro Airport. Back in January, new barriers were erected after a driver crashed into the McNamara Terminal. In that case, officials said the person was experiencing a mental health episode.
Sturdivant said the Cadillac driver was able to through the gaps in those barriers.
The gaps, he explained, are a federal requirement under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).
The investigation is ongoing.
Stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 for updates . >>LISTEN LIVE!!
