Jets' Quinnen Williams arrested with gun in LaGuardia Airport

Jets defensive tackled Quinnen Williams. AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack

By David Brand

New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams was arrested while carrying a pistol in his carry-on luggage at LaGuardia Airport Thursday night.

Williams, 22, is charged with criminal possession of a weapon and will be arraigned on March 25, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. He received a desk appearance ticket and was released.

The third-overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft was arrested around 9:15 p.m. by Port Authority police officers. He was legally licensed to carry the gun, a Glock 19, in Alabama. Williams was an All-American at the University of Alabama.

Individuals can travel with firearms properly stored in their checked baggage, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

“Mr. Williams respects and follows the law. There was allegedly a technical issue with the manner in which the lawfully owned firearm was stored — and we expect the matter to be resolved shortly,” said defense attorney Alex Spiro in a statement tweeted by Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn.

The Port Authority Police said the weapon was not loaded but that Williams was also carrying ammunition.

At least 483 people have been arrested while carrying a gun at LaGuardia or John F. Kennedy Airports since 2014, the Eagle reported in January. The defendants are often tourists who unaware of the state and city’s strict gun laws relative to other states.

“Most of the seizures at the airport are made as a result of the person saying, ‘I'm here I have a gun that I have to transport,’” Assistant District Attorney Francesco Catarisano told the Eagle in January. “In a sense they are surrendering. Though they’re not really surrendering because they want [the gun] back, but they recognize that they have the gun and they are giving up custody of it.”