The Bayshore Gate at MacDill Air Force base is closed tonight because of an incident on the base.
UPDATE An AWOL serviceman arrested as he tried to enter MacDill Air Force Base with weapons and ammunition in his vehicle has been charged with desertion and will be turned over to the Army, base officials reported Tuesday evening.
Spc. Christopher Paul Kilburn had been stationed with Alpha Company, 1-16th 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan., a media release from the base said. It did not specify when he left. Kilburn will be turned over to Army officials, and additional charges will be pending as the investigation continues.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office will decide how to charge Kilburn’s companion, Palm Beach resident Micah Noel Goodier.
Original Post
Military personnel are examining an SUV that made it onto the base. Witnesses say the vehicle contained guns and ammunition that base personnel were removing. The car also contained military-style clothing.
Tampa Police responded outside the base, to direct traffic at Bayshore Boulevard and Shelton Avenue.
From ABC News
Police responded to an unknown situation just after 6 p.m. The gate has been closed for more than three hours now.
While it’s not clear what is going on, people close to the scene say the bomb squad is there and they’re dismantling an SUV.
Stay with ABC Action News and abcactionnews.com for the latest.
The man is in the military, he was AWOL… The woman is not known at this time, they’re in their mid 20’s, they are both cooperating with authorities. They tried to get into the base using fake Id’s. I wonder exactly what their intentions were? It says that they are both US citizens too. And it isn’t believed to be terror related. No bombs were found as well, just commercially available military weapons…Makes one wonder why they were trying to get into the base? And for what? Maybe this is his home base, and since he was AWOL maybe he just trying to sneak back in without getting caught? Or maybe it was something much more sinister? I guess we’ll find out or we’ll never find out.