• Submitted by: manso
• International
• 12 / 29 / 2010

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December 27, 2010 10:57 PM. Reporting David Sutta. MIAMI (CBS4) – He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon and with theft for possessing a stolen weapon that was taken more than 14 years ago.

Miami-Dade Police arrested Juan Manuel Baldoquin and confiscated his .25 caliber, semi-automatic Raven Arms pistol last week. Authorities say it may seem small, but it is large enough to take a life with just ones of its seven rounds.

According to Miami-Dade Police and the Transportation Security Administration, a security worker saw the image of a firearm when Baldoquin was going through the x-ray machine at the TSA Checkpoint in Concourse G just before 6:40 Friday morning.

When police searched Baldoquin, they found the nickel plated gun in his waist purse/fanny pack. Police said the gun was concealed in a zippered pocket in the front of the fanny pack.

Baldoquin reportedly told the arresting officer, “That is my firearm, I honestly forgot that I was carrying the firearm.”

When police performed a records check on the gun, they found that it was stolen in 1996 in West Palm Beach.

“We are looking into how he came into possession of that stolen weapon,” said Detective Javier Baez of the Miami-Dade Police Department. “This is a obviously a sign that the system is working. We take pride in the work that we do and anyone who takes a weapon into MIA will get arrested. Anyone who has a weapon on their person, we are going to take very, very seriously.”

 “I think they should be arrested,” airline passenger Sherida Winter told CBS4's Peter D’Oench on Friday. “Why would you come to the airport in the United States with a loaded gun?”

The arrest was also a relief to Nicole Ruth, who was about to board another flight to Cuba.

“I think it’s good that they found him,” said Ruth. “It means that security is doing what it is supposed to be doing.”

A check of Baldoquin’s criminal background shows he was charged only with misdemeanor type violations in the past, including littering and improper markings on a commercial vehicle.

Source: miami.cbslocal.com/2010/12/27/