Stowaway 9 Yr Old Boy Flies WN-twice!

ChicagoFlyer · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:34 am

Synopsis: an enterprising 9-yr old lives in Seatlle. Misses grandfather in Dallas. He finds a way to get to San Antonio by sneaking onto a couple of Southwest planes, but he is apprehended short of destination. (Clearly a victim of Wright Amendment restrictions--else he'd be able to have gone nonstop!)

Bonus info--at his mature age he apparently is an expert car thief and driver, having learned that through Playstation.

Hat tip to fark.com.

airfoilsguy · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:47 am

This kids future looks real bright. Add one more to the current prison population. The mother should be locked up too.

ChicagoFlyer · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:02 am

Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 1):
This kids future looks real bright. Add one more to the current prison population. The mother should be locked up too.

Sadly, I have to agree. BTW here's a more detailed article with the picture of the little rascal.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/6326838p-5515246c.html

Quote:
Earlier, Sakinah Booker told police that she needed help with her son, and when they found him, they should take him to Remann Hall juvenile jail in Tacoma.
“I told (the officer), don’t bring him back home. … It’s too much,” she said.

The little moral issues aside, there are still the details on how the boy snuck on the planes, and how he was discovered. I wonder if there's any Southwest insiders who can shed light on the case--apparently the police already were waiting when the 2nd flight landed.

wingnut135 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:02 am

I particularly like how mom blamed his crimes on playstation and not a lack of parenting. Good call!

Wingnut

SkyexRamper · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:09 am

Yet another point for TSA! The kid just happened to find a boarding pass for that flight on that day? mmmm....little kid going through security alone...mmm....that's a huge red flag right there.

[Edited 2007-01-17 22:15:05]

mohavewolfpup · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:13 am

he's clearly a terrorist, anyone onboard has to worry if he isn't potty trained and sits next to you.......

get the kid better parents and feed his parents to the sharks. he didn't lick the behavior off the ground...

planespotting · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:18 am

Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 1):
This kids future looks real bright. Add one more to the current prison population. The mother should be locked up too.

Actually, he's probably a pretty smart kid. One must have good street-smarts and motor skills to drive a car 90mph to elude police at the age of eleven, not to mention somehow making it through security and onto TWO airplanes without paying for anything.

Probably not a good sense of right and wrong, but theres probably a lot of potential...

FlyKev · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:47 am

Quoting Wingnut135 (Reply 3):
I particularly like how mom blamed his crimes on playstation and not a lack of parenting. Good call!

Well, maybe he did learn it from the Playstation. However, who brought him them games? The parent perhaps?

Well then again, looking at his record, he may have just stolen them.

Kev.

airfoilsguy · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:56 am

Quoting Planespotting (Reply 6):
Actually, he's probably a pretty smart kid

That is the saddest part. With proper parenting he would have had a bright future.

AirlineBrat · Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:24 am

Yeah but if you read the article in the Seattle PI, he was freaked out by a neighbor who was a convicted child molester and wanted to go home to Texas where he knew he was safe.

mtnwest1979 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:28 am

Quoting Planespotting (Reply 6):
Actually, he's probably a pretty smart kid. One must have good street-smarts and motor skills to drive a car 90mph to elude police at the age of eleven,

And he's only 9.
I hit something else about him on the head, too, after hearing about this.

airfoilsguy · Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:36 am

Quoting AirlineBrat (Reply 9):
Yeah but if you read the article in the Seattle PI, he was freaked out by a neighbor who was a convicted child molester and wanted to go home to Texas where he knew he was safe.

That is probably the reason he is stealing cars and running from police. Yeah sure

AirlineBrat · Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:47 am

Quoting Airfoilsguy (Reply 11):
That is probably the reason he is stealing cars and running from police.

Yeah, you're probably right. Aren't there several video games out on the market that are about stealing cars and evading cops. Like Grand Theft Auto etc etc......

ikramerica · Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:11 am

In this situation, it sounds like the Mom has been asking for help and nobody is giving her any. She has a kid that is out of control (nothing in the report says her other three sons are like this) and part of me feels bad for her, really. I usually am one to say parents are largely to blame, but sometimes you just get a kid who's wired in a weird way...

BrandonB · Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:41 am

Guys leave the kid alone. He can't help it that he is smart enough to get through those SWA looneys and knows how to jack a car.

[Edited 2007-01-18 02:43:02]

YYZatcboy · Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:04 am

Anyone find this oddly funny? Imagine if it was in an Adam Sandler movie.

ikramerica · Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:10 am

Quoting YYZatcboy (Reply 15):
Anyone find this oddly funny? Imagine if it was in an Adam Sandler movie.

Why imagine that when you can already rent a movie about 2 kids who steal cars. Granted, they are 12, not 9, but...

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092655/

NWDC10 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:22 pm

TSA just looks the other way. Smart kid though to "out smart" the TSA. Robert NWDC10

707lvr · Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:59 pm

No father in picture. No father in picture. Four sons. Were any of you guys ever 11 years old for pete's sake!? Who's supposed to have taught this young man just how you're supposed to get out of an intolerable situation like that (in Seattle fergodssakes with the most gawdawful weather in a generation and wrecked cars everywhere and no school and nobody working and on and on,) without resorting to a crime wave?! I would have been tough as all getout on him except for one thing: all he wants to do is get to Dallas so he can be with his grandpa. Thankfully, he has one.

Also, when he finishes with the Law, and the local prosecutor has indicated he won't file charges if the kid doesn't come back which I think is completely 19th century and oddly appropriate here, then maybe he'll call up the Prince of Sweden and give him a few tips on how to befuddle and overcome American Government Employee Security with ease. Just a thought.

zvezda · Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:45 pm

The boy clearly needs a father figure. He should be remanded to his grandfather's custody. His mother has demonstrated an inability to cope.

Electech6299 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:37 pm

Quoting NWDC10 (Reply 17):
TSA just looks the other way. Smart kid though to "out smart" the TSA

I doubt he did anything suspicious to the TSA. Kids fly all the time, he might have even said he was with another family in the other line if asked. He had the boarding pass for the first flight, and woudn't need to go through security for the second. I wonder if he booked his first flight online with his mom's credit card? That's why his mom would be listed on the flight. There's an identity theft issue either way.

BTW, Grant Theft Auto is rated "M"- Mature. My kids are forbidden to go to houses that have "M" games, and I won't even let them play "T" games. (My oldest is 11)

I doubt his mom didn't know he had violent games. And then she kept getting him out of jail. If she wanted help, she wasn't trying very hard to get it, she was probably just living in wishful thinking that this would blow over when she moved back to Dallas.

Blew the engine on an off-ramp. Wonder if he was driving stick? Or just had the automatic tranny in low gear? Not a very accomplished driver- maybe he'll pick up some tips in jail. No engine should blow after only going 90mph.

zvezda · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:48 pm

Quoting Electech6299 (Reply 20):
No engine should blow after only going 90mph.

... unless it was an American car. I doubt he was driving a Soviet car, as I don't think anyone's ever found a way to get one up to 90mph (145kph) and they are rarer than hens' teeth in the States.

copaair737 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:53 pm

That kids a little bad ass. Jesus. Stealing 3 cars by the 4th grade? He could rap about that sort of thing. Smart kid too, but I don't think he can keep his nose clean.

-Copa

Electech6299 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:56 pm

Quoting 707lvr (Reply 18):
No father in picture. No father in picture. Four sons. Were any of you guys ever 11 years old for pete's sake!? Who's supposed to have taught this young man just how you're supposed to get out of an intolerable situation like that

Hmmm.. I had no father in picture at 11, living in inner city violence, and somehow I managed not to have a crime spree. (The violence on the Atari 2600 wasn't nearly as bad... Wink

Also, my mom made it clear that if we went to jail, she'd show up for the court date, and no sooner, and wasn't gonna hire a lawyer. My older brother learned it the hard way. When you realize that you can't get away with everything, somehow a kid find ways to make a living inside the parameters. The sad thing is that so many adults in this world never had parameters to limit them, and still think that they can do whatever they want. The concept of a limit is crucial to maturity...

Hopefully the mother is going to understand the need for setting limits in this child's life. (I doubt she'll lose custody of the kid yet- but she may choose to send him to his Grandpa voluntarily.) I wonder if he's been blacklisted from SWA? That'd be a shame... he's already proven he can fly as an unaccompanied minor without any trouble!

Electech6299 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 5:59 pm

Quoting Zvezda (Reply 21):
... unless it was an American car.

Hey, I drive a low-end base model Chevy, and it's seen over 100 without a hiccup! (I wouldn't go against a Honda or VW racer with it, it's more fun laughing at them for wasting their money...)

TinkerBelle · Thu Jan 18, 2007 6:44 pm

Quoting NWDC10 (Reply 17):
Smart kid though to "out smart" the TSA.

Not really, they are not the smartest people in the world. duck

Seriously, you gotta admit the kid is pretty smart. Too bad he's using his brains the wrong way. Damn Wright amendment otherwise kid would be chilling with grandpa in Dallas.

lamedianaranja · Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:00 pm

Quoting 707lvr (Reply 18):
No father in picture.

Lots of kids end up all right with one parent. It's also the quality of the upbringing, not only the quantity that counts. Rules, strictness and lots of love in equal measures should do the job.

Quoting 707lvr (Reply 18):
Who's supposed to have taught this young man

What do you think he'll learn in Juvenile Detention? More nice tricks, I can assure you.

If we're talking of his maternal grandfather he wasn't able to keep his daughter in line either.

I'm a single mom with 2 teenage boys and I do realize how difficult it is to keep them on the straight and narrow, especially if the financial situation requires the parent to work a full-time job. I've encouraged my sons to work since they were 16 years old and shoulder their responsibilities, education- and money-earning wise. Still, part of the way the kids turn out is inside their character and parenting can do only so much.

Electech6299 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:05 pm

Quoting TinkerBelle (Reply 25):
Damn Wright amendment otherwise kid would be chilling with grandpa in Dallas.

I dunno, he got on the wrong plane in PHX, he might have just as easily gotten on the wrong non-stop. Everyone keeps praising this kid for being smart- I see a lot of mistakes he's made. He's wrecked every car he drove (except the one he ran out of gas). The thing I can say for him, he's very determined, and he has no inhibitions, no internal "leash" on his actions. Like the cop said, he's very motivated. If he can learn to direct his motivations in a way that is less self-destructive, he'll do well. I don't see why people are calling simple "daring" particularly smart.

pilotaydin · Thu Jan 18, 2007 8:11 pm

this is just one case out of millions...why are people so shocked, do all of you live in such a perfect organized community yourselves? I love how some of you have easy solution, the world is never going to get better..

genetics will always exist, and probability too, kids who steal will always be around, people who cheat will always be around, bad parenting will always be around, im sure if we made your lives public A.net members would turn against you looking for something wrong in your life, then we can post what we think should be done with you....

we have to get used to the fact that there are people who aren't lawful out there, don't get confused that it's the other way around Wink

zvezda · Thu Jan 18, 2007 9:28 pm

Quoting Lamedianaranja (Reply 26):
Lots of kids end up all right with one parent. It's also the quality of the upbringing, not only the quantity that counts. Rules, strictness and lots of love in equal measures should do the job.

Telling a child "Do what [your other parent] tells you." is much more compelling than "Do what I tell you." A child can turn it around and respond to the parent "Do what I tell you" but he doesn't get very far with telling his mother "Do what father tells you."

Quoting Lamedianaranja (Reply 26):
What do you think he'll learn in Juvenile Detention?

Prisons are academies of crime. They have failed in every way possible -- even when judged by the standards of those who advocated them. They are not effective at deterence, rehabilitation, or reducing recidivism. They take people who made a mistake and turn them into hardened criminals. Nowhere in the world is it easier to buy drugs or weapons than in a prison.

grandtheftaero · Thu Jan 18, 2007 10:55 pm

Quoting AirlineBrat (Reply 12):
Yeah, you're probably right. Aren't there several video games out on the market that are about stealing cars and evading cops. Like Grand Theft Auto etc etc......

All kids who play Grand Theft Auto grow up to be gansters... just like all kids who play Dance Dance Revolution grow up to be Kevin Federline Yeah sure

zvezda · Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:08 pm

Quoting GrandTheftAero (Reply 30):
All kids who play Grand Theft Auto grow up to be gansters... just like all kids who play Dance Dance Revolution grow up to be Kevin Federline

It seems that one A.netter almost grew up to be GrandTheftAuto.

[Edited 2007-01-18 15:08:49]

WN230 · Thu Jan 18, 2007 11:58 pm

Quoting GrandTheftAero (Reply 30):
All kids who play Grand Theft Auto grow up to be gansters

Bulls**t, I play the game and haven't once thought of becoming a gangster, its just not the way to go in life. The way to go is to become a pilot. Wink

WN230

zvezda · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:06 am

Quoting WN230 (Reply 32):
Bulls**t, I play the game and haven't once thought of becoming a gangster, its just not the way to go in life. The way to go is to become a pilot.

I have a friend who during the cold war was employed by his government to steal a military aircraft. Years later, his pilot's license was revoked for buzzing his friend's house -- and hitting a bush growing next it. Now he's older and lives a quiet life. Anyway, he didn't have any video games growing up.

ltbewr · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:12 am

This incident raises a lot of questions as to how it could happen.
What was he using for ID, and worse, why didn't anybody ask for it and match it to the pass? Why didn't any WN staff person, including the f/a's or gate agents, note that he may have been an unaccompanied minor or had a stolen pass? What about the person who's pass he stole, didn't anybody think of following up as to the possibility of someone else using it? You also had the terrible risk of him being accosted by a molester/sex criminal, something he had a terrible fear of.
This kid, as well as the mother, needs help, including psychological counseling. WN, the TSA and others need to look at this incident to see where they terribly failed and not stop him from getting anywhere near a flight.

riyadhnurse · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:23 am

Sad that this kid is so "lost" at this young age.Hopefully this latest escapade will help this wayward family into good counseling and a chance to turn their lives around.Otherwise we're seeing the next generation to enroll at the states Dept of Corrections. I agree with those who think this clueless "Mom" needs some jail time herself. Sad

bond007 · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:23 am

If he does it 6 more times he'll get a free roundtrip ticket!

... oh the perks of a frequent stowaway program.

Jimbo

zvezda · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:26 am

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 34):
What was he using for ID, and worse, why didn't anybody ask for it and match it to the pass?

ID is not required for children under 16 years of age -- unless they are on the No Fly List.

WN230 · Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:37 am

Quoting Zvezda (Reply 33):
Quoting WN230 (Reply 32):
Bulls**t, I play the game and haven't once thought of becoming a gangster, its just not the way to go in life. The way to go is to become a pilot.

I have a friend who during the cold war was employed by his government to steal a military aircraft. Years later, his pilot's license was revoked for buzzing his friend's house -- and hitting a bush growing next it. Now he's older and lives a quiet life. Anyway, he didn't have any video games growing up.

I meant what I said at the end of my quote to be interpreted in a good way.
I meant to say become a pilot and to do it for good. Sorry if i sounded sarcastic. My apologies.

WN230

YVRFlyer · Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:03 am

Quoting GrandTheftAero (Reply 30):
All kids who play Grand Theft Auto grow up to be gansters...

Nah... I say, if you wanna be the ultimate *G*, go into politics! Theft, murder, and mayhem isn't just legal, it's paid for by the taxpayers too.

Less seriously, it'll be interesting to see "Airport 2008", where the stowaway isn't some nice little old lady! old

[Edited 2007-01-18 17:08:38]

TVNWZ · Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:17 am

Future Sec. of Transportation is my bet.

smashme33 · Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:42 am

Think about those extra security fees on your plane tickets...airport security is not really better, just more aggravating. It just goes to show that if someone wants access bad enough, they will get it.

Surely this kid knows better than to do the wrong things that he does, but he is a child...you cannot be hard on children, you must take the time to help them develop properly, in any kind of family situation. It's up to adults to be decent...No excuses. There's no other way for a child to learn decency except through good positive exchanges with adults. There is one thing to remember about kids...

ADULTS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILDREN AND SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR PLAYSTATION AND LUNCHABLE PARENTING!

I only hope things change in a good direction for the boy.

sacamojus · Fri Jan 19, 2007 1:58 am

As a former substitute teacher, I have been in many self contained classes with boys just like him.(many were on probation for theft and battery) It is not always the parents fault. I have met some parents who care very deeply about their children, and provide them with a good home. But the kids just don't see the consequences of their actions. They don't respond to any authority figure including the police and don't see where they are headed in life. Unfortunately things like this happen, and you hope the boy learns his lesson.

zvezda · Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:04 am

Quoting Sacamojus (Reply 42):
As a former substitute teacher, I have been in many self contained classes with boys just like him.(many were on probation for theft and battery) It is not always the parents fault. I have met some parents who care very deeply about their children, and provide them with a good home. But the kids just don't see the consequences of their actions. They don't respond to any authority figure including the police and don't see where they are headed in life. Unfortunately things like this happen, and you hope the boy learns his lesson.

One of the important lessons of childhood is that actions have predictable (and sometimes harsh) consequences. A child who hasn't learned this from his parents by the age of about five or six is unlikely to ever learn it. When a nine year old child hasn't learned this, I can blame no one but the parents.

smashme33 · Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:12 am

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 36):
If he does it 6 more times he'll get a free roundtrip ticket!

... oh the perks of a frequent stowaway program.

Jimbo

I should try this stowaway program on my next few flights to Detroit to boost my Worldperks account! Free domestic ticket here I come! Or should I take the magazine subsciption? Maybe the shaving kit for travelers? Ahhh... so many choices! scratchchin

IAHFLYR · Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:19 am

Quoting Zvezda (Reply 37):
ID is not required for children under 16 years of age -- unless they are on the No Fly List.

Which lends itself to yet further guestions.......no ID, then the kid must have been under 16 according the the above, how did he get through our gauntlet called TSA?

Oh, then with no ID because he was under 16 apparently, how would you know for sure if the kids name was or wasn't on the quite lengthy and accurate no fly list held by who, again?????

Oh, then from Jimbo

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 36):
If he does it 6 more times he'll get a free roundtrip ticket!

... oh the perks of a frequent stowaway program.

just brilliant by the way....can this kid use that roundtrip reward ticket alone??? Smile

Sure hope this makes a future A&E TV show about WN!!!!!!! Smile

dsmflyer · Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:34 am

Have they sold the movie rights for this yet?

FLY2LIM · Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:53 am

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 34):
What was he using for ID, and worse, why didn't anybody ask for it and match it to the pass? Why didn't any WN staff person, including the f/a's or gate agents, note that he may have been an unaccompanied minor or had a stolen pass? What about the person who's pass he stole, didn't anybody think of following up as to the possibility of someone else using it?

As the parent of two kids under sixteen, the "security" screeners at airports have often chided me for actually showing ID for my kids, stating that "only the adults" have to show ID. I get the feeling that I am wasting their time for showing them the documents.

Quoting LTBEWR (Reply 34):
You also had the terrible risk of him being accosted by a molester/sex criminal, something he had a terrible fear of.

Just where is this a "terrible risk"? You think this could happen at an airport that's full of people? Believe me, a 9 year old that steals cars and drives them 90 miles an hour is probably street wise enough to avoid contact with pedophiles at an airport.

Quoting Sacamojus (Reply 42):
As a former substitute teacher, I have been in many self contained classes with boys just like him.(many were on probation for theft and battery) It is not always the parents fault. I have met some parents who care very deeply about their children, and provide them with a good home. But the kids just don't see the consequences of their actions. They don't respond to any authority figure including the police and don't see where they are headed in life. Unfortunately things like this happen, and you hope the boy learns his lesson.

As a current high school teacher, I can tell you that you hear the worst sob stories from parents about how well they have raised their kids, only to later find out that the parents are the main problem and that the kid is the one who is actually trying to change for the better.

I don't for one second trust this woman who blames play station for her kid's troubles.

FLY2LIM

flyorski · Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:32 am

Quoting Planespotting (Reply 6):

Probably not a good sense of right and wrong, but theres probably a lot of potential...

No kidding, hope he wakes up to utilize it.

Quoting Zvezda (Reply 29):
Nowhere in the world is it easier to buy drugs or weapons than in a prison.

No kidding, a kid who can accomplish all this at this age, could start a gang when he's a little older if he learns the people in a prison. I dont think a prison is a good solution at all.

He has a lot of potential, lets hope he sees a way out.

Also, blaming the parents still does not solve anything, and people should concentrate on helping this kid move forward.

Quoting FLY2LIM (Reply 47):
Just where is this a "terrible risk"? You think this could happen at an airport that's full of people? Believe me, a 9 year old that steals cars and drives them 90 miles an hour is probably street wise enough to avoid contact with pedophiles at an airport

I think he was talking about the pedophiles in his home town of Seattle.... The reason the kid wanted to get to Texas in the first place....
It said in the article that one lived on his block and he was afraid of him.

AirTranTUS · Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:47 am

Quoting Zvezda (Reply 37):
ID is not required for children under 16 years of age -- unless they are on the No Fly List.

Then how does one verify that a minor is who they are? Are parents supposed to accompany them to the checkpoint?

IMO, what the person checking ID's should have done is have the kid show who his parent is or announce for the mother to come to the checkpoint over the PA. If no one showed up, they should then ask for the kid's home phone number and call home about it.

In the rare case that this happens again, this policy should be implemented. If the kid then misses their flight, every effort should be made to re-accommodate the child. And the parents talked to about leaving the kid at the airport without ID or verifying their child's ID to security.

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