April 19, 2024
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Amtrak train halted in Mendota, Florida man arrested after police say he told passengers he had a gun

Police did not find a gun, but man was removed from train and cited on a complaint of disorderly conduct

By Derek Barichello

An Amtrak train was stopped Sunday at the Mendota Railroad Depot for about 40 minutes and depot and parking lot evacuated as a man implied he had a firearm to fellow passengers on the train, police said. (A train is shown in this Shaw File photo moving through Mendota.) (Shaw File photo Chris Yucus)

An Amtrak train was stopped Sunday at the Mendota Railroad Depot for about 40 minutes and depot and parking lot evacuated as a man implied he had a firearm to fellow passengers on the train, police said.

At 4:17 p.m. Sunday, Mendota officers were told by Amtrak authorities of a passenger reporting to have a gun on board train No. 3, a westbound commercial passenger train to California.

Baird Douglas McNeil, 41, of Tallahassee, Florida was arrested on a complaint of disorderly conduct, a class A misdemeanor, after the investigation revealed a statement in which McNeil implied he had a firearm to passengers on the train. Baird was searched and no weapon was found.

Baird was taken to the Mendota Police Department, served his citation and released with a court date.