Airline Reaches Out to Help Victims of McCarran Abduction
Michael John Allgood, the young man shot by police at McCarran Airport on Tuesday remains on life support.
Police say Allgood took a young child hostage and ran through an airport security checkpoint. Three Metro officers shot at Allgood. They say he was trying to get police to kill him.
Allgood has a history of mental illness.
After police shot Michael Allgood and he finally let go of the child, an airline reached out and offered support to the boy’s family after the frightening incident.
A child had just been kidnapped; the family missed their plane to see relatives and was all alone at McCarran International Airport. It was an airline and its local director who offered help.
Dennis Anderson, US Airways Las Vegas managing director, said, “We just felt it was right to get them where they were going.”
On Tuesday, the boy’s mother watched Allgood snatch her son as he looked at toys inside an airport gift store.
Michael Allgood held a knife to the child’s throat and ran to the A and B security checkpoint exit lane.
Police say they shot Allgood while he still had the child and bullets ended the short stand off sending only Allgood to the hospital.
It was hours before things calmed down.
The 3-year-old and his mother missed their flight on Sun Country. They went to another airline that wanted to charge them full price to get to Minneapolis. When US Airways heard about the struggle, they didn’t think twice.
Dennis Anderson said, “If you missed your flight and other carriers may not want to assist, it’s nice to know there are some people out there who will stick out their hand and help you along.”
In addition to a free flight for the young hostage and his mother, Anderson closed the US Airways club room so they could regroup in a quiet area.
“They felt a lot more at ease with the situation. I don’t know how much more at ease you can be after a traumatic situation like that,” Anderson continued.
An airport counselor used the time to help. After a snack and meal Anderson squeezed the family onto a full flight so they could be with relatives in Minnesota.
Anderson said, “It was something like the clich�; it’s the right thing to do at the right time.”
After a kidnapping at knifepoint and then seeing police shoot the assailant, Dennis Anderson says it’s the least he could do for the family.
US Airways also assisted eight eyewitnesses to the shooting.
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