Passengers pull their luggage and walk toward Los Angeles International Airport, Sunday, Aug. 28, 2016.
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Investigators found no connection between the two incidents. The reports were spurred by loud noises only, and police were still investigating to find the source of them, Neiman said.
Airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said Monday about 280 flights were delayed and at least 27 flights were diverted to other airports. Two flights were canceled.
The man claimed that he works for tips posing for photos with tourists on Hollywood Boulevard and was meeting someone at the airport, according to Maggard, who said he did not know if the Zorro character was connected to active shooter scare.
He said police and airport personnel began yelling at people to get back, while the masked man sat calmly on the bench. An individual “in Zorro costume has been detained” by airport police, airport authorities wrote on Twitter.
Sunday night’s shutdown in Los Angeles closely mirrored a situation at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport two weeks ago when reports of shots inside Terminal 8 panicked travelers and shut down that airport.
On Sunday, active shooter reports quickly spread by social media and word-of-mouth, and passengers in five terminals fled or rushed through security checkpoints, airport police said.
Passengers and employees ran onto the tarmac and into the Central Terminal Area roadways. “What happened was that somebody called and said there’s a man in dark clothing out here and they got scared I guess”.
LAPD tweets: Police searching LAX after reports.
“Report of shooting at LAX proven to be LOUD NOISES only”. In 2002, a gunman opened fire on travelers near the El Al Airlines ticket counter, killing one and injuring four others.
After the NY panic, police said they were investigating whether an overly boisterous celebration of the Olympics on August 14 led to noises that were misinterpreted as gunfire, with the ensuing chain reaction turning into a panic as crowds ran to evacuate. The roads were reopened around 10:30 p.m.
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In the NY incident this month, two people reported hearing what they thought were shots fired, law enforcement sources said then. Airport police determined the sword was plastic. Surveillance video from inside the terminal did not show any shooting.
