Operations were returning to normal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Monday morning, after false reports of an active shooter sent passengers stampeding from terminals and, in some cases, onto the tarmac.
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A shooting rumour triggered panic in Los Angeles Airport (LAX) on Sunday night, as passengers ran for safety, reports said. Two flights were canceled, airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said. Nonetheless, CNN noted that 23 flights during that half-hour needed to be diverted to other airports in the Los Angeles area and 68 were delayed.
CNN’s Paul Vercammen, reporting from the airport, said the man was involved in cosplay, or costume play.
It was unclear if the Zorro incident directly led to the shots fired calls, but Airport Police were still investigating the events.
Pedregon said the incident marked the worst security upheaval at the airport since November 2013, when a gunman walked into Terminal 3 with a semi-automatic rifle and opened fire, killing a U.S. Transportation Security Administration agent. “Many passengers and employees evacuated onto the airfield and into the Central Terminal Area roadways”.
The Los Angeles scare created a mess, with three terminals shut down, roads closed and flights held in the air and on the ground, but no reported injuries.
About five minutes before the first 911 calls, officers detained a man dressed as Zorro who was carrying a plastic sword in Terminal 7.
Airport Police Department Assistant Chief Dave Maggard said that the police detained the masked man to investigate if his sword prop is real. Police went floor to floor to clear the airport and ensure there was nothing to be found, a source said. The whole episode was a mass delusion, set off by a loud noise and, possibly, by a fellow dressed as Zorro. “It’s nearly like a game of telephone, by the time people were hearing things, I think they heard it was an active shooter… that’s when chaos can break out”.
Actress Anne Dudek of Santa Monica was one of the travelers who fled from Terminal 7 after her United Airlines flight arrived about 8:30 p.m.
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The FAA issued a ground stop at the airport due to a security situation, according to the regulatory body’s website.
