Florida Woman Packs Handgun In Boot At LaGuardia: TSA

QUEENS, NY — A Florida woman got booted from a LaGuardia flight after she stuffed a handgun into a boot in her carry-on, authorities said.

TSA agents found the .25-caliber handgun, along with seven bullets and a gun magazine, and police arrested the woman Saturday, officials said.

The gun was the fifth firearm discovered by TSA officers at LaGuardia Airport security checkpoints this year, authorities said.

The incident unfolded as the Hollywood, Florida woman walked through security and an X-ray unit detected the weapon in her carry-on bag, officials said.

A search of her bag found the gun shoved into a boot, seven bullets hidden inside a make-up wipe package and a gun magazine hidden inside a sock, according to information released by the TSA.

TSA officers told Port Authority Police about the gun, leading to the woman's arrest and the weapon's confiscation, authorities said.

The woman received a citation from airport police and faces up to $15,000 in civil penalties, authorities said.