2 travelers at LaGuardia caught with weapons, Port Authority says

Two women were arrested in separate incidents, 20 minutes apart, after they tried to smuggle weapons through a security checkpoint Thursday morning at LaGuardia Airport, police said.

One involved a stun gun; the other, brass knuckles, Port Authority police said.

Cherelle Starlina Graham, 19, of Alabama, was arrested in Terminal B at 5:45 a.m. and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon after security screeners found she had a stun gun, Port Authority police said. Authorities never pursued charges against Graham.

Graham was ticketed for Spirit Airlines Flight 475 to Detroit, police said.

The second woman, identified as Tanisha Small, 24, of Grayson, Georgia, was stopped and arrested at 6:05 a.m. in Terminal B as police said she tried to go through security while in possession of brass knuckles.

She was ticketed for Southwest Flight 2890 to Atlanta, police said.

She also was charged with fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

Arraignment details were not immediately available.

This story was updated on Sept. 26, 2025 to add information about authorities not pursuing charges against Cherelle Starlina Graham.

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”