PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — WPTV is learning more details surrounding an arrest made yesterday of a man found in possession of firearms and knives in his car at Palm Beach International Airport.
WATCH BELOW: 'I'm shocked,' neighbors tell WPTV they are surprised by the arrest
According to the arrest report, an airport security employee contacted the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Tuesday morning concerning a suspicious-looking man inside a vehicle at an employee-only restricted area.
When police arrived and made contact with the suspect, identified as Michael Rodrigues, 41, they questioned why he was in that area of the airport. Rodrigues pointed to a golf bag case, which he said he retrieved it from the trash. Police observed two throwing knives inside the golf bag.
When police asked for Rodrigues' ID, Rodrigues said he did not have one on hand and that the vehicle he was inside was a rental.
Rodrigues proceeded to reach for a black case sitting outside the car on the floor, saying that he believed his ID could be inside. Police noticed a large concealed knife inside the bag.
Police then asked Rodrigues for proof of the vehicle's registration or rental agreement. Rodrigues then gave police permission to search the vehicle to look for the papers.
When searching the car, police found a fully-loaded rifle magazine in the glove compartment, and a fully-loaded AR-15 rifle against the front passenger seat of the car that was wrapped in a blanket.
WATCH BELOW: PBSO gives update on man arrested at Palm Beach International Airport
“This is a prime example of something that was stopped ahead of time, that could’ve been very, very, very bad," Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during Wednesday's press conference. "He had enough fire power to hurt a lot of people.”
The arrest report described that Rodrigues was talking in an unorganized manner, that his pupils were very tight, and that he was changing his story on why he was at the airport. Rodrigues was not able to give police the name of the person he was meeting or any flight information.
"He was all over the place, giving conflicting statements to include, 'I'm waiting for my army buddy to arrive,' to 'I'm picking up somebody, I'm flying out of here, I'm trying to get a ticket.' A bunch of answers that didn't match," Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Col. Talal Masri said. "He was agitated—one minute he was joyful and making jokes and the next minute he was upset."
WATCH PREVIOUS: WPTV's Michael Hoffman outside the Palm Beach County Jail
Police obtained surveillance footage at the airport that showed the car Rodrigues was driving entered the airport at around 5 a.m. and gradually made its way around the car loop until stopping next to the restricted area until about 5:20 a.m., and proceeding to drive into the gated employee-restricted area.
The sheriff believes Rodrigues came to the airport to commit a mass tragedy. Investigators said he was casing the place for nearly two hours.
"It's pretty obvious to me he was there to hurt people and do something that was going to cause a lot of havoc," Bradshaw said.
At around 7 a.m., Rodrigues was seen exiting the vehicle and walking over to the dumpsters and then going back into the trunk of his car.
WPTV’s Ethan Stein confirmed Palm Beach Gardens police stopped Rodriguez earlier in the day for a traffic stop. A spokesperson said he was speeding at around 90 mph.
WATCH BELOW: Michael Rodrigues' criminal history dates back to 2010
After police received a search warrant for Rodrigues' car at the airport, detectives found a bag that appeared to be cocaine.
Rodrigues, who has an extensive criminal history, faces a charge of possession of a firearm as a convicted felon, trespassing at an operational area of an airport and possession of cocaine.
"He's a two-time convicted felon with an extensive history, including domestic violence by strangulation, burglary, theft, drugs, dealing in stolen property," Masri said.
Michael Rodrigues' extensive criminal history
WPTV’s Ethan Stein dug through Palm Beach County court records and found Rodrigues was charged five times since 2010. The most recent charge from April 2025 for “battery by strangulation,” where officers said he falsely lured a woman into his house then pulled a woman out of her car onto the floor. Then he kicked her in the forehead, according to officers, and placed his foot on her neck until she lost consciousness.
The woman crawled to a neighbors house after regaining consciousness to call 911. Palm Beach Gardens police said the woman tried to enter the car a second time then Rodrigues forcefully push her to the ground. Rodrigues was out of jail on bond, which was revoked Wednesday.
He was arrested for grand theft auto in March 2024, but charges were dropped, because the State Attorney’s Office said it didn’t have enough evidence to support a conviction. Then, a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy found Rodrigues in a stolen truck with a large pile of clothing with Burlington Coat Factory tags. The deputy said Rodrigues didn’t understand his Miranda rights during an interview, so he stopped answering questions.
Court records show Rodrigues refused to sign a citation from animal control after he was cited for not having proof his dog was vaccinated against rabies among other county requirements totaling $214 in November 2024.
Rodrigues was also put on probation for about a year after the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office found he punched an elderly man in the face in August 2019. The victim said Rodrigues punched him in the face as he attempted to leave his daughter’s house with her TV and threw him to the ground. Deputies said Rodriques also threatened to kill him, so the victim waited for law enforcement with his grandchildren in the car.
He also faced battery charges for another domestic incident in June 2010. Then in July 2010, Rodrigues was arrested for running away from officers, reckless driving and drug charges. Boynton Beach police said they chased Rodrigues in a Jeep Grand Cherokee, which included running stop signs.
Rodrigues is being held on a $1,040,000 bond for his latest offense.
PBIA released the following statement regarding the quick-thinking employee who spotted Rodrigues and contacted security:
"This is an active investigation, so we cannot confirm their identity. We are very grateful that they followed security protocol and reported the suspicious individual. We train every employee who works at PBI, whether they are a contractor, tenant, airline employee or county staff, on security procedures and to be situationally aware. We are grateful that he took that training to heart and did the right thing."
