Man Arrested For Scaling Airport Fence, Damaging Plane

A Los Angeles man, believed to be under the influence of drugs, was arrested Saturday night at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after being seen on the runway.

The suspect, identified as Eduardo Hernandez, 31, of the Los Angeles suburb of Downey, hopped a 12-foot barbed-wire security fence and made his way onto the tarmac around 7:45 p.m. local time. He then triggered an alarm located in the wheel well of a Southwest Airlines plane, police spokesman Rob Pedregon said, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A Southwest Airlines pilot reportedly saw Hernandez running on the tarmac on Runway 24 Left before an alarm sounded, meaning something had happened to the plane.

"He actually reached into the wheel well and pulled a fire extinguisher line which caused an alarm to go off," Pedregon told the Times.

Officials arrived on the scene and chased after the suspect as he attempted to flee. A police dog bit Hernandez before being captured, reported KNBC, an NBC affiliate in Los Angeles. Police reportedly arrested Hernandez on felony vandalism and suspicion of trespassing.

The suspect told police that he was heading to Downey, which is located roughly 18 miles from LAX. After an evaluation, police believed Hernandez was "under the influence of some kind of narcotic or had mental illness." Authorities sent Hernandez to a nearby hospital for treatment.

The Southwest jet, heading to Sacramento, had been preparing for takeoff when Hernandez approached the wheel well.

"He was actually very fortunate he wasn't killed as the jet was powering up," Pedregon added.

Officials reportedly evacuated passengers from the damaged plane and onto another flight that left for Sacramento within an hour of the incident.