Palm Beach County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 41-year-old man in a restricted parking area at Palm Beach International Airport on August 5, 2025, after finding a loaded AR-15 rifle and knives in his rental car. Michael Rodrigues now faces state and federal charges, including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Man arrested with rifle and knives at Palm Beach International Airport
A 41-year-old man was arrested on the morning of Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) in West Palm Beach, Florida, after deputies found a loaded AR-15 rifle and several knives in the rental car he was using, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
The man, identified as Michael Rodrigues, was taken into custody “without incident,” the Sheriff’s Office said. No shots were fired and no one was hurt. The Sheriff’s Office said deputies had thwarted a “possible active shooting incident,” CNN reported, though investigators have not publicly described a specific plan or motive.
How deputies found the weapons
Shortly after 7 a.m., airport operations personnel alerted deputies to a “suspicious man observed outside a dark-colored vehicle in a restricted parking area,” the Sheriff’s Office said, as reported by CBS News Miami. Deputies found Rodrigues “standing outside the vehicle while getting dressed.”
After confirming that the car was a rental, deputies opened the glove compartment to retrieve the rental agreement and found “a fully loaded AR-15 magazine,” according to the Sheriff’s Office. A further search turned up “a loaded AR-15 rifle and multiple knives concealed under a blanket on the seat.”
Federal prosecutors gave a slightly more detailed account. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, as reported by CBS12, Rodrigues parked the rental car in the airport’s employee lot, where it sat for about two hours while he was seen repeatedly getting in and out. He was seen walking toward the airport gates carrying a large black case and returning to the car around 7 a.m. Deputies found throwing knives in the case. Prosecutors said Rodrigues gave deputies permission to search the car, where they found a loaded magazine and, under a towel next to the glove compartment, a loaded AR-15 with two additional magazines.
What the suspect told deputies
According to the arrest report, as reported by WPTV, Rodrigues gave deputies conflicting explanations for being at the airport, including that he was waiting for an “army buddy,” that he was picking someone up, and that he was trying to get a ticket. He also said he had taken a golf bag, in which deputies saw two throwing knives, out of the trash.
WPTV reported that surveillance footage showed his car entering the airport around 5 a.m., and that investigators said he spent nearly two hours in the area before deputies approached him. Palm Beach Gardens police had stopped him earlier that morning for driving at about 90 mph, the station reported.
Charges and bond
Rodrigues was charged in state court with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, trespassing in an operational area of an airport, and possession of cocaine. WPTV reported that his bond was set at $1,040,000 after a previous bond was revoked on August 6.
On Thursday, August 7, federal prosecutors charged him with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Prosecutors said he was convicted in Martin County on June 20, 2022, of grand theft of a motor vehicle and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility. Local outlets reported that he has other prior arrests, including an April 2025 arrest on a battery by strangulation charge. All of the new charges are accusations, and Rodrigues is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
What officials said
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said the arrest was “a prime example of something that was stopped ahead of time,” WPTV reported. Bradshaw said he believed Rodrigues intended to harm people, though no charge related to such a plan has been filed.
Col. Talal Masri of the Sheriff’s Office described Rodrigues as “a two-time convicted felon” with an extensive criminal history.
The airport said the employee who reported the man “followed security protocol.” Airport officials did not identify the employee because the investigation is ongoing.
Investigation continues
Detectives were continuing to interview Rodrigues and investigate why he was at the airport, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities encourage travelers and airport workers to report suspicious activity to airport staff or law enforcement.
Source: CBS News Miami
