Unattended Bag Triggers Scare at LAX

An unattended bag found Wednesday in Terminal 4 at Los Angeles International Airport prompted officials to evacuate part of the terminal and divert traffic away from the area while a bomb squad checked it out and determined it was harmless.

The item was found in the west end of the check-in/ticketing lobby of the terminal about 11 a.m.

“During the nearly 45-minute period of the incident, the west end of the check-in/ticketing lobby and the TSA security screening area of Terminal 4 were cleared of people,” said Airport Police Officer Robert Pedregon.

“The Upper/Departures Level roadway and sidewalk in front of Terminal 3, the Tom Bradley International Terminal and Terminal 4 — between the north and south ends of West Way around the horseshoe-shaped roadway — were temporarily closed to vehicles and pedestrians,” Pedregon said.

“However, flight operations in all terminals, including T-4, continued to operate normally,” he said. “Passengers headed to Terminals 3, 4 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal were directed to the Lower/Arrivals Level to enter the terminals.”

During that time, the airline ticketing lobby and the TSA security screening area on the east end of Terminal 4 continued operations, he said.

--City News Service