LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Reports of a person with a gun at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) prompted hundreds of travelers to flee a terminal Thursday evening.
The airport says someone reported that there was a person with a firearm in Terminal 1 at about 7:30 p.m. PT.
As a result, LAX says the FAA put a ground stop in place for all flights at the airport, and about 300 passengers self-evacuated onto the airfield. Video captured by KABC shows travelers lined up against an outside wall.
“I didn’t hear like any gunshots or like see the man with a gun, I just heard people screaming, like, ‘Run,’” one witness told KCBS.
“They were running for their lives. And then I heard someone say, ‘A gun,’” another witness told KCBS. “So, I just, I was sleeping, half asleep, stood up, looked at both of my children, ‘let’s go.’ So, we left our bags just right there and my wife was about 50 meters away, so I checked for her. She had her bag with her, so we all ran to the tarmac.”
Airport police responded to the scene, but officers found that no shots had been fired and no weapons were recovered in their investigation, according to LAX.
“Per police at the scene there is no threat and no active shooter at LAX,” said the airport.
However, the airport says two individuals were detained by police for further investigation.
During self-evacuation, officials say two people sustained minor to moderate injuries and were treated by the Los Angeles Fire Department. One of them was transported to an area hospital.
All runways at the airport have since been reopened and LAX says traffic is moving normally.
TSA agents assisted in transporting those who evacuated back to the terminal.
