{"id":413246,"date":"2026-09-28T23:30:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T23:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/413246\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T23:30:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T23:30:10","slug":"hidden-weapon-uncovered-in-surprise-discovery-at-tampa-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/413246\/","title":{"rendered":"Hidden weapon uncovered in \u2018surprise discovery\u2019 at Tampa airport"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 Security officers made a \u201csurprise discovery\u201d at Tampa International Airport when they uncovered a deadly weapon hidden in an unusual place, according to TSA officials earlier this month.<\/p>\n

In a release<\/a>, the agency said that the item \u2014 a hidden knife inside of a baseball bat-shaped flashlight \u2014 was found during a routine screening in a passenger\u2019s carry-on bag at a TSA checkpoint. <\/p>\n

\"\"Image of the concealed knife and baseball bat-shaped flashlight (Transportation Security Administration)<\/p>\n

Per the agency, TSA officer Andrew Carter noticed that the flashlight looked unusual on the X-ray screen and sent the bag for additional inspection.<\/p>\n

Supervisory TSA Officer Michael Slaughter searched the bag and felt something hidden beneath its lining, the release notes. Inside, he found a toiletry kit and the small flashlight. When he twisted the flashlight\u2019s handle, it came apart and revealed a 4-inch, double-edged knife built into the handle.<\/p>\n

\"\"Tampa TSA officers discovered this knife artfully concealed in a baseball bat-style flashlight. (Transportation Security Administration)<\/p>\n

Slaughter immediately contacted other TSA supervisors, airport management and Tampa Airport Police.<\/p>\n

The passenger initially said he did not know the knife was in the bag. However, after police arrived, he reportedly said he had placed the item beneath the suitcase lining to save space.<\/p>\n

\"\"Additional images of the knife and flashlight (Transportation Security Administration)<\/p>\n

TSA officials said the way the knife was hidden raised concerns about whether the passenger had intentionally tried to conceal it. <\/p>\n

The passenger was arrested and was not allowed to travel, officials added. However, the passenger\u2019s identity was not disclosed in the release.<\/p>\n

\"\"While on X-ray, Tampa TSA Officer Andrew Carter (left) flagged the carry-on bag with the knife artfully concealed in a baseball bat-shaped flashlight. Tampa Supervisory TSA Officer Michael Slaughter (right) discovered the knife inside. (Transportation Security Administration)<\/p>\n

TSA officials noted that passengers who bring knives to security checkpoints are sometimes allowed to voluntarily surrender the items and continue their trips. However, law enforcement decisions depend on the circumstances, the passenger\u2019s statements or behavior, local laws and the officer\u2019s assessment.<\/p>\n

TSA managers praised the officers for working together and communicating throughout the incident.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis ranks among the most unique items I have identified,\u201d Carter said, calling it a \u201cgood catch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2013 Security officers made a \u201csurprise discovery\u201d at Tampa International Airport when they uncovered a deadly…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":413247,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[265,28,2546,135,137,136,107],"class_list":["post-413246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-crime","tag-florida","tag-strange-florida","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=413246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/413246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/413247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=413246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=413246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=413246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}