Deputies who responded to the scene found a perimeter gate destroyed after a blue Ford Mustang “plowed through it and headed toward the Embry-Riddle section of the airport,” the Volusia Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
The incident occurred shortly after 4:20 p.m. on March 25, at the international terminal area of the airport, according to the sheriff’s office. In an update later that day, the sheriff’s office identified the driver as Bryan Parker of Holly Hill, Florida.
Witnesses reported that the Mustang entered a taxiway and nearly struck an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University aircraft that was actively taxiing on the runway.
After crashing through the gate, authorities said Parker then got out of his car. He tried to board an occupied, running airplane, but was unable to enter because it was locked.
He then approached two other airplanes and briefly entered at least one that was not occupied before he was found by airport operations staff and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University security.
When an airport operations technician and Embry-Riddle security staff pursued Parker, he started to flee.
Officials said he was initially detained but briefly escaped. “As Parker ran to other aircraft in the area, an airport operations technician chased him down, pulled him out of a plane, and sat him on his truck's tailgate,” stated the sheriff’s office.
“However, Parker jumped off the tailgate and ran toward another plane before he was once again apprehended and placed in handcuffs,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators said Parker told them he was intoxicated by alcohol and drugs. He also said that he did not remember the events that led up to the incident, according to the statement. Authorities described him as "highly intoxicated" during the encounter.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office Domestic Security Unit responded to the scene. They are also assisting in the investigation.
Despite the breach, officials said operations at Daytona Beach International Airport continued without disruption. No injuries were reported, and no damage to the aircraft has been confirmed.
Authorities have not yet announced formal charges. The sheriff's office stated that “the suspect is currently in custody and being interviewed,” adding that “multiple charges are pending.”