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Man Carrying Loaded Weapons Arrested At Sacramento Airport

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Montana man is being held without bail after he reportedly tried to go through an Sacramento International Airport checkpoint with four loaded guns in his possession.

Transportation Security Administration agents noticed a gun in a carry-on bag belonging to Harold Edward Waller, 45. They then patted him down and found he was carrying a loaded gun in a holster. Two more guns were also found in a full search of his carry-on bag, according to a TSA official.

The incident happened Thursday at about 3 p.m. at the Terminal A security checkpoint.

Harold Waller
Harold Waller

TSA agents discovered a total of four loaded firearms: a .45 automatic loaded with 12 rounds in the magazine and a round in the chamber, two loaded 25-caliber automatic weapons loaded with six rounds in the magazine, and a 9mm Smith and Wesson, a TSA official told CBS13.

Waller had 192 rounds of ammo, according to the federal official. Agents also found three knives in Waller's possession.

Waller had a ticket for a US Airways flight to Phoenix. He was taken into custody by the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department.

Deputies located Waller's vehicle parked off-site and found eight additional firearms, several of which were loaded, according to a sheriff's press release Friday.

Waller is from Circle, Montana, a town of about 600 people, but has ties to the Sacramento area. He owned a home in Rancho Cordova for a few years while he was receiving medical help for depression in Sacramento but lost the home to foreclosure in 2009.

His mother said he grew depressed after his divorce.

"He was very discouraged, depressed, saddened," she said by phone from Montana. "His thought process was just all messed up. He did things that didn't make sense. I know he needs help."

Airport passengers who heard of the news Friday were shocked.

"There's a lot of wackos out there," Ed Franklin said. "You just never know who's armed and you have to protect yourself at all times."

The amount of firepower Waller was carrying was especially alarming, another man said.

"That is a tremendous amount of ammunition," Rob Davis said. "He was apparently planning on doing some damage."

"Yeah, he's got some type of agenda," Jeff Franklin added. "That's a little scary."

Waller was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on charges including unlawful possession of a loaded firearm, unlawful possession of a concealed firearm, possession of an unauthorized weapon in a public building and possession of a firearm within a sterile area of an airport.

There could be more charges added on once investigators determine his intent. For now, Waller is intent on keeping quiet. He refused CBS13's request for a jailhouse interview.

He's scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday.

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