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Man Accused Of Crashing Car Through Fence At PHL Airport Turned Over To Feds

By John Ostapkovich

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A Chester County, Pa. man accused of taking his SUV on a drunken, high-speed chase along the runways at Philadelphia International Airport now faces only federal charges.

Kenneth Mazik, 24, had originally been charged both federally and locally, but now the local charges, including DUI and resisting arrest, have been dropped and he's been turned over to federal custody.

That's where the major prison time could accrue from a charge of using a weapon -- in this case a Jeep Cherokee -- to disrupt airport operations.

Officials say that after the vehicle crashed through a locked airfield gate, a plane was coming in for a landing and dozens of others had to be put in holding patterns while police chased the suspect across the tarmac.

A hearing will be held tomorrow on further exploration of competency issues.

A conviction on the federal charges could get Mazik up to 20 years.

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