False Shooting Report at LAX Causes Hundreds of Delayed Flights

LOS ANGELES, CA — False reports of a shooter at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday night caused dozens of flights to be diverted and hundreds of others to be delayed. The havoc continued into Monday morning, and travelers in and out of the airport can expect heavy traffic and delays.

The social media-fueled incident may have stemmed from police activity in Terminal 7 where airport police responded to a report of a man dressed like Zoro armed with a sword.

"Believing the subject was armed with a sword, several Airport Police officers approached him with weapons drawn out of an abundance of caution," Los Angeles Airport Police Officer Robert Pedregon said in a written statement. "The man was detained, questioned and released. Airport Police determined the sword was plastic.

"Immediately following, Airport Police began receiving reports of an active shooter in Terminal 8.

"Word spread quickly through the terminals by word-of-mouth, social media, and additional calls were made to Airport Police about an active shooter in other terminals, with some reporting having heard gunshots. Many passengers and employees evacuated onto the airfield and into the Central Terminal Area roadways. An investigation, that included review of closed-circuit television footage, revealed that no shots were fired. Airport Police continues to investigate what caused the incident."

Twenty-seven flights were diverted to other airports, but many had completed their trips to LAX by 1:25 a.m., according to LAX Public Relations Director Nancy Castle. About 280 flights were delayed, including 120 arrivals and 161 departures. Two flights were cancelled, she said.

Airport staff were using audio and visual messages to keep passengers apprised of flights and delays, said Castle. Concessions stayed open past closing time to serve passengers on delayed or diverted flights.

Traffic on the upper departure level was flowing smoothly, but traffic on the lower arrival level was congested this morning, she said.

"Motorists picking up arriving passengers are advised to wait for free in the cell phone waiting lot at 96th Street and Vicksburg (Avenue) until their arriving passenger calls to say they are at terminal curbside ready for pickup," Castle said.

Transportation Security Administration and Customs and Border Protection agents were continuing past the end of their shifts to screen passengers whose departure was delayed and those arriving for delayed flights, she said.

Law enforcement continued to investigate the multiple 911 calls at 8:45 p.m. Sunday saying there was an active shooter in Terminal 8, Assistant LAX Police Chief Dave Maggard said before dawn this morning.

"Some reported hearing gunfire," he noted.

As airport police checked Terminal 8, there were reports of gunfire in other areas, Maggard said. The airport terminals were evacuated, and roadways were shut down.

Officers and teams with bomb-detecting K-9s searched the terminal area but found no indication of an active shooter, he said.

Throughout the event, the public and passengers were kept informed of developments, and a new wireless emergency alert system passed information to cell phone customers within five miles of the airport, Maggard said.

"We are grateful it was not actually an active shooter," he said. "We will continue to investigate throughout the day."

The news of possible gunshots prompted some people to rush out the wrong security doors, setting off alarms that added to the sense of danger, LAX police union head Marshall McClain said on KNX 1070 Newsradio.

McClain told the station some people inside the airport heard loud noises they knew weren't gunshots but said it was possible the noises induced some other people to call 911.

Following a intense search of the areas, an "all-clear" was issued about 9:50 p.m., but a logjam of vehicles and people stranded by the evacuations brought airport operations to a crawl and will require much of the night to untangle, McClain said.

"Report of shooting at LAX proven to be loud noises only," Los Angeles police Capt. Andy Neiman said on Twitter. "No shots fired. No injuries."

All passengers needed to be re-screened through airport security before returning to the terminal, authorities said.

"People evacuated from terminals are allowed back in as they pass through TSA screening," Badlissi said. "There should be an easing of the situation. Flights are still arriving but passengers should check the status of their flights."

A passenger from Anaheim Hills named Mike said he and his wife were at a baggage claim area in Terminal 7 when they heard orders to evacuate and joined a rush of people crowding onto the sidewalk as uniformed personnel with assault rifles ran into the terminal.

"It was pretty scary," he told KNX.

Departure and arrival roadways into the Central Terminal Area reopened at about 10:50 p.m. Sunday, LAX officials said.

Airport spokeswoman Mary Grady said it would take much of the night to bring traffic and pedestrian patterns back to normal.

The incident affected air traffic nationwide, as flights in and out of LAX from airports across the country were re-routed or canceled, McClain said.

Authorities will be vigilant in making sure the false alarm was not a diversion to create mayhem elsewhere at the airport, he said.

Patch staffer Paige Austin and City News Service contributed to this report.