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Airport baggage thief admits to stealing over 600 bags
Yikes. Turns out not all baggage thieves are sophisticated criminals.
Dallas police just arrested 39 year old Patrick Brown who was stealing up to 3 bags a day from Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Tulsa airports.
He'd wait at the carousel, then when bags circled once or twice, he'd snag them and leave the airport.
In total, he stole over 400 bags from DFW, 200 from Houston and an unknown number from Tulsa. Brown stored the bags in a storage unit, and sold them at a local Dallas flea market.
A buyer at the flea market discovered a name tag in the luggage, contacted the rightful owner, and the police got involved. So, if you passed through any of those airports, and you thought your bags never made it to the carousel, you may want to contact Dallas police.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Stijn Mar 30th 2009 12:17PM
I never understood why the baggage claim in US airports were open to the public. Anyone can just take the bag they want.
In Heathrow and Schiphol-Amsterdam, the baggage claims are in the secure area, before customs.
johnmc Mar 30th 2009 1:22PM
It's the difference between international and domestic travel. Particularly at smaller airports, the majority of traffic is domestic, meaning that it is not necessary to go through customs once you pick up your bags. For international flights, the baggage claims are as you describe, requiring a trip though customs before getting to the exit.