SANTA ANA, Calif. — Video captured the moment workers at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California watched in disbelief when a car zoomed by several airplanes on a busy taxiway.
The bizarre scene unfolded around 1:12 p.m. Monday when a contract security guard assigned to an airfield security checkpoint drove a car onto the taxiway at a high rate of speed, the airport said in a statement.
Footage shows a white Toyota Camry racing down the tarmac and speeding past several planes taxiing toward the runway.
"Me and all my co-workers were just like yelling, giving him the X, holding the [traffic] wands, telling him to stop the plane, and then he zoomed right past," said Rijken Vanderweide, an airport employee who recorded the video. "Honestly, if we didn't tell that plane to stop, he came really close, and if no one noticed or stopped … he probably would've collided with that nose gear and possibly collapsed that front end of the plane."
Sheriff's deputies later detained the security guard without incident.
Deputies requested medical help due to the guard's "erratic behavior," according to the airport. The security guard was taken to a hospital after it was determined he was experiencing a possible medical emergency.
In air traffic controller recordings obtained by ABC News, an American Airlines pilot is heard alerting the controller about the Camry speeding down the taxiway.
The controller is also heard advising a Southwest Airlines plane of the car and holding that flight and all other aircraft in position as police respond.
"Southwest 1057 hold position, there's a high-speed chase on the taxiway," the controller said.
At one point, the controller and pilots nearby talk about the man getting out of the car and trying to barricade himself.
Despite the chaotic scene, the airport continued its operations without disruption.

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