A spokeswoman for Los Angeles Airport Police said police received multiple reports from passengers who said they heard shots fired at Terminal 8, and reports of a “suspected active shooter situation”.
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The chaos and hysteria at LAX mirror a similar incident at New York’s JFK last Sunday when Terminal 8 was evacuated after people had reported shots being fired, although police subsequently found nothing suspicious.
Twitter user Sam Macon posted a video of police detaining a man wearing a Zorro costume, who falls to the ground then crawls away from the building, and lays spread eagle, apparently in response to police orders.
Airport officials confirmed the arrest in a tweet.
The incident came just days after another false alarm led to a panicked evacuation of Kennedy Airport in NY.
LA police tweeted that no shots had been fired and there were no injuries. By 10:30 p.m., some terminals were cleared and passengers were allowed back in to be re-screened.
Castles said no vehicles were being allowed into the Central Terminal Area roadways late into the night but vehicles inside the airport were allowed to exit. “Investigation continues to locate source”, said Andy Neiman, Commanding Officer of LAPD Media Relations on his Twitter. “For whatever reason.” LA television reported he said he was detained and released.
When the incident began, scores of people could be seen running from the terminal out on to the sidewalks and streets as police with rifles out stormed terminals.
“In the age of ISIS-inspired-and-directed terror attacks, it is a national priority to make sure targets, like our airports, are best prepared to recognise, diffuse and professionally handle the very real threats that confront us”, he said.
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Police from the Port Authority of NY and New Jersey evacuated the terminal out of caution, spokesman Joe Pentangelo said.
