TEMPE

Director at Barrow Neurological Institute arrested with rifle at Sky Harbor

Katie Bieri
The Republic | azcentral.com
Peter Steinmetz was arrested July 28 for carrying a rifle at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

A man who works as a director at the prestigious Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix was arrested Friday after he carried a rifle into Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix police said.

Peter Steinmetz, 54, of Tempe, was booked into a Maricopa County jail on suspicion of two counts of disorderly conduct for displaying a deadly weapon.

The counts stem from when Steinmetz removed the AR-15 from his shoulder and the muzzle faced toward a woman and her daughter in a waiting area in Terminal 4, according to police. Both the woman and her daughter reported fearing for their safety, police said.

Police said Steinmetz was first observed buying a cup of coffee in the airport with the gun slung over his shoulder. They said Steinmetz walked to the eastern end of the third-level lobby and stopped in front of the B gates.

When confronted, Steinmetz said that he went to the airport only to buy a cup of coffee and had no other business there, police said.

Steinmetz is director of the neuroengineering program at the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, according to Barrow's website.

A statement from Dignity Health's St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center confirmed "that Peter Steinmetz is employed as a researcher with St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. We are aware of the situation and are taking it very seriously. At present this issue is being handled by Human Resources and our policy is not to comment."

A man who answered the phone Monday evening at a number listed for Steinmetz said attorneys advised the doctor not to comment on the arrest.

12 News reporter Gia Vang contributed to this article.