LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — What started off as a trip to Las Vegas for their bachelor and bachelorette parties, quickly became a traumatic experience for Derek Didonato and his fiance.
“We heard a couple of bangs, and everybody started running in every direction, screaming,” Didonato said. “I basically expected it to be the next mass shooting experience right there.”
Didonato says they were at the Delta Airlines ticket booth on Sunday morning at Harry Reid International Airport when they heard loud bangs about 20 feet away. The chaos led to a lockdown at the airport.
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“People were just yelling gun through the whole airport and it spread like wildfire.”
Metro police say 33-year-old Stefan Hutchison caused the noises when he tried to get into a restricted area, possibly knocking over a trash can and slamming a door. Those sounds caused people to flee, and the crowd knocked over metal stanchions causing an additional commotion.
Travelers believed the noises were gunshots and people started running through security checkpoints. The Transportation Safety Administration had to rescreen all travelers.
Metro says Hutchinson was arrested twice at the airport this weekend – once on Saturday for charges related to his conduct, and then again Sunday on a burglary charge.
Former Special Agent in charge of the FBI in Las Vegas, Aaron Rouse says law enforcement agencies train for these types of situations on a regular basis.
“If something is reported. it's responded to immediately and never taken for granted to be a mistake or a hoax or anything like that, you have to treat it like it's the real deal each and every time,” Rouse said. “That way, you're making sure that you're responding effectively and efficiently and keeping people safe.”
Traveler Joe Hall says the airport was a sea of people after the incident. He missed his flight and had to wait 8 hours before he could finally get home to Arizona.
Hall said, “Those people are trying to stop what they perceive as a threat, but unfortunately, that guy ruined everyone's morning.”
