One week after a security panic threw Los Angeles International Airport into gridlock, a police traffic stop on Sunday (Sept 4) outside an LAX baggage-claim area triggered a smaller-scale upheaval that led to the evacuation of a passenger terminal.
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A total of 18 flights – nine inbound and nine outbound – were delayed, and passengers said they were being kept on arriving flights in holding areas.
Officer Rob Pedregon says some people became concerned when officers asked them to move inside Terminal 3 as they conducted a felony traffic stop outside Sunday morning. The terminal is used by Allegiant Air and Boutique Air, as well as Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit and Virgina American airlines.
Larry McKenney, 35, of Humboldt, Texas, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a stolen auto and possession of methamphetamines in a custodial setting. “The millions of people whose journeys begin, end, or pass through LAX should know that it has the finest, most prepared airport police force and federal security personnel in the nation – and that their safety and protection will always be our number-one priority”, Garcetti said.
Because of those security breaches, the terminal was evacuated and passengers re-screened as officers and explosive detection canines conducted a security check, he said.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 passengers were rescreened, according to the Los Angeles World Airports Airport Response Coordination Center.
Two unarmed officers were critically injured after being shot by a visitor in the lobby of a central California jail, authorities said.
Four others who were in or near the vehicle were questioned and released, police said.
The evacuation comes a week after 911 calls falsely reporting gunshots at LAX sent panicked travelers running onto streets and the tarmac.
Police shut down motor traffic throughout the airport for almost three hours, and almost 300 incoming and outbound flights were delayed.
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This post was originally published at 10:30 a.m.
