By Michael Manekin, STAFF WRITER
Article Created: 02/09/2008 02:36:42 AM PST
SFO — A United Airlines employee at San Francisco International Airport was arrested Thursday on suspicion of sneaking a loaded handgun into a secure area of the airport, authorities said Friday.
The employee reportedly had a dispute with colleagues at work and someone discovered during the argument that the person had a firearm, FBI Special Agent Joseph Schadler said.
A spokeswoman for the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident, said Traci Bracken was charged on suspicion of one count of possessing a concealed weapon and one count of possessing a loaded gun.
No further information about Bracken was available by press time, according to Sgt. Linda Gibbons of the Sheriff's Office.
But a spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office said there were no records of a Traci Bracken in the computer system. She said a 55-year-old man by the name of Timothy Bracken was arrested Thursday on the same charges of concealing and possessing a loaded weapon. He is scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday, Deputy District Attorney Elaine Tipton said.
A Sheriff's official confirmed Friday night that a Traci Bracken is incarcerated at the main county jail in Redwood City, whichhouses both men and women.
Federal agents responded to the incident because bringing a weapon into a secure area of an airport is a federal crime, Schadler said. The suspect will not face federal charges, he added.
Schadler gave no details of the dispute nor its exact location within the secure area of the airport.
The FBI spokesman could not say before press time how often such incidents occur at SFO or at other airports, whether regional or national.
"People don't bring a gun to work for no reason," Schadler said of the incident on Thursday. "There's a great possibility that something really ugly was prevented."
Staff writer Michael Manekin can be reached at 650-348-4331 or mmanekin@bayareanewsgroup.com.