Stabbing Suspect Breaks Into Plane At S. Fla. Airport

July 22, 2010

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --

A man suspected of stabbing a worker at his home broke onto a Spirit Airlines passenger plane at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Tuesday morning, according to police.

At about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Broward Sheriff's Office said, 31-year-old Omar Michael Cumberbatch climbed a chain-link security fence topped with barbed wire on the east side of the Fort Lauderdale airport property.

Police said Cumberbatch entered the airfield and climbed the outside stairs on a Spirit Airlines plane, entering the aircraft as it was being cleaned.

Some alert maintenance workers spotted Cumberbatch and called police, according to BSO.

"They watched him and kept him under surveillance, called 911. The first deputy arrived, along with some (Broward County Aviation Department) security folks," said Chief Roy Liddicott, of BSO. "By that time, the gentleman had approached the aircraft, saw the deputy, went running up the stairs to get into the aircraft, and the deputy chased him up and tackled him as he got onto the aircraft."

Cumberbatch was taken into custody and charged with trespassing.

After his arrest, BSO conducted a check and discovered that Cumberbatch lived at a Hollywood home where a stabbing was reported on Tuesday afternoon.

"About 3:45, there was a stabbing in Davie in the 4200 block of Northwest 76th Avenue. A man in his 50s was found stabbed with serious injuries. We were looking for a person who turned up this morning in BSO's custody," said Officer Greg Gasse, of the Davie Police Department.

Davie police said Cumberbatch was the man they had been searching for. He was charged with attempted second-degree murder Wednesday afternoon.

Police said Cumberbatch stabbed 54-year-old Trevor Mais in the stomach and then ran off. Mais was transported to Memorial Regional Hospital, where he is in serious condition.

BSO said Cumberbatch was incoherent when he was taken into custody.

Cumberbatch's next-door neighbor, Nicholas Krzyzanowski, said he knew something was wrong before Cumberbatch's arrest.

"I saw the neighbor pacing back and forth, kind of talking to himself, acting erratic. I have lived next-door to this guy for about seven or eight years, and I have never seen him act like that," Krzyzanowski said.

Davie police said there was an argument about repair work before the stabbing.

"The victim was performing a work-related service at the house. He was a plumber or some sort of tradesman," Gasse said.

Security around the airport perimeter was visible Wednesday afternoon. Police said passengers can rest assured that there are multiple levels of protection for them, including officers from BSO, the Transportation Security Administration and the Broward County Aviation Department.

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