FORT MYERS, Fla — An Immokalee man was arrested for stealing a golf cart at Page Field Airport in Fort Myers and driving it across the runway. Witnesses say the driver of the stolen golf cart, Robert Edward Gallegos, nearly hit two parked airplanes before finally crashing into the perimeter fence near Fowler Street. According to his arrest report, Gallegos was heard yelling “Call the FBI, Call the FBI”..
A third plane was directed to do a “go around” in the air to avoid crashing into the golf cart.
After crashing the golf cart, Deputies say Gallegos climbed the fence and started to run towards the Page Commons. Gallegos was finally arrested after being tased by LCSO at a Party City store nearby.
We talked to a pilot instructor who says he was flying Saturday and says this is the first time he’s encountered something like that Page Field.
"The tower told me a golf cart and I and say what golf cart, haha what golf cart, we don’t have cases like this," said Lubomir Georgiev with Yoanna Flight School Instructor.
But when it comes to safety, the regional inspector tells us airports like Page Field are secure due to the fencing with barbed wire and security guards on post at all hours. The inspector says if anyone would try to steal a plane in this situation, he says they wouldn’t get very far, because there are no keys in the planes…
"Nothing really happened, there was enough airport security to stop anything from really happening," said regional aviation inspector, Al Vanlengen. "The biggest deterrent that we have is the people at the airport understand the security and what’s required."
Gallegos is being charged with criminal mischief, resisting arrest, felony trespassing, and the police say the total damage to the golf cart was $1,300.
