Man tried to bring loaded gun into Disney's Epcot, affidavit says
Affidavit: Man, 61, didn't have concealed weapons permit
Affidavit: Man, 61, didn't have concealed weapons permit
Affidavit: Man, 61, didn't have concealed weapons permit
A Louisiana man was arrested and banned from all Walt Disney World properties after attempting to enter Epcot with a loaded firearm, an arrest affidavit shows.
It happened outside the entrance to Epcot on Monday morning.
The affidavit said Michael C. Langston, 61, of Abita Springs, Louisiana, walked through the park entrance’s no-bag line, which allows guests without bags to bypass this portion of screening.
A Disney security officer chose Langston to go through the metal detector, at which point the man informed security that he was armed with a gun. A Disney supervisor and off-duty Orange County deputy were called to the gate, and Langston was escorted away from the guest area to a marked patrol vehicle nearby.
The deputy removed from Langston a Smith & Wesson Bodyguard .380 automatic with a full six-round magazine, the affidavit said.
The Disney security officer said had he not selected Langston to go through the metal detector, he believed the man would’ve entered Epcot without declaring he had a firearm with him.
Langston was arrested on suspicion of unlawful possession of a concealed firearm and issued a trespass warning from all Disney World property. The gun was placed into evidence, the affidavit said.
A Disney spokeswoman confirms weapons of any kind are banned at company theme parks. There’s no distinction made between whether weapons are concealed or not.
"There is a certain amount of common sense a person must use to understand certainly this place does not want me to have a firearm in here," said Jeff Williamson of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Court records show Langston posted bond and was released Tuesday. The phone number listed on his arrest report came back as non-working.