Delta flight attendant arrested for carrying handgun

By Kristi E. Swartz

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A Delta Air Lines flight attendant preparing to board a plane bound for Atlanta was arrested after authorities found a handgun in her purse.

Amber Robillard, who lives in Atlanta, was stopped at the Transportation Security Administration security screening checkpoint at the Indianapolis airport and arrested after they discovered the gun, Delta spokeswoman Susan Elliott said.

Robillard, 39, did not fly to Atlanta with the rest of the crew on the 6 a.m. flight.

Elliott did not name the woman but said she will be returning to Atlanta at some point. Authorities and Marion County jail records confirmed the Robillard’s identity. She faces charges of carrying a handgun without a license and also having a weapon in an airport. Both charges are misdemeanors.

According to the Indianapolis Star, Robillard was carrying a 9mm Glock with a full magazine of 10 bullets and a holster. The firearm was discovered in an interior compartment of the flight attendant’s bag as it went through an x-ray machine at airport security.

Robillard has a $150 bond, according to jail records.

Delta is conducting its own investigation as well, Elliott said.

“Based on the findings of the investigation, we will determine the next course of action,” Elliott said. “We have yet to even have discussed the issue with flight attendant at this point.”

This is the second time in less than a month that a Delta crew member has been arrested after screeners found a gun in carry-on luggage.

In May, police arrested a Delta pilot after they found a loaded handgun in his carry-on luggage at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

Matthew Lamar McDaniel, 32, of Atlanta, was booked into the Clayton County Jail but released on bond the next day.

Unlike the flight attendant on Friday, McDaniel was off duty at the time. He had been with Delta for three years, Elliott told the AJC at the time.

McDaniel had a permit to carry a concealed handgun. It is generally illegal to carry a loaded firearm into secured areas of the airport, however.

--Staff writer Christian Boone contributed to this report