Man pulls out unloaded gun, causes panic at LAX
Lighted pylons at the Century Boulevard entrance to Los Angeles International Airport, which normally flash in a multicolored sequence, shine a steady blue Saturday evening, Nov. 2, 2013, in honor of Gerardo Hernandez, the Transportation Security Administration officer slain at an LAX terminal Friday. He is the first TSA officer to die in the line of duty in the history of the 12-year-old agency, created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A police entry checkpoint, part of an increased visible police presence, is seen in the foreground. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
LOS ANGELES >> An arriving passenger has been arrested on suspicion of brandishing a weapon in the baggage claim area of Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 3, causing momentary panic before authorities determined his handgun was unloaded.
Terminal 3 was the site of a deadly gun attack last week that left a Transportation Security Administration officer dead and three others wounded.
Airport police Sgt. Karla Ortiz said the man either took out the gun or a gun carrying case around 9 p.m. Friday. At least one witness who saw the act notified authorities and the bomb squad was called in to search his bag.
The man had declared his weapon and cleared security before getting on his flight to LAX. Ortiz said his offense was showing off a weapon in a public area.
