Vehicle Crash at LAX, Report of Man with Weapon Rattle Nerves, Prompt Terminal Evacuations

A crash of a vehicle into a stairwell and a report of a man with a weapon caused traffic chaos Friday night at Los Angeles International Airport and rattled the nerves of travelers and officials still jittery after the fatal shooting of a security agent three weeks ago.

The loud vehicle crash, which happened around 7:30 p.m. on the lower level outside Terminal 5, generated erroneous passenger reports of shots fired, said Nancy Suey Castles, public relations director of Los Angeles World Airports, the city agency that runs LAX.

Passengers self-evacuated Terminal 5, she said.

"Part of that (reaction), we believe, is some hypersensitivity to what occurred on Nov. 1," LAX Police Chief Patrick Gannon said, referring to the shooting of TSA officer Gerardo Hernandez.

Airport officials also said that around the time of the crash, an anonymous caller told airport police there was a man with a weapon at Gate 45 in Terminal 4. Police officers responded and found nothing, Castles said.

Authorities evacuated the terminal so it could be fully searched and cleared.

The two incidents caused traffic gridlock around the airport. Vehicles were diverted from the upper level to the lower level roadway until further notice.

Flight operations at Terminal 4 were temporarily disrupted but are expected to resume once passengers rescreen through security and return to boarding gates, Castles said.

A woman taken from the crashed minivan or SUV at Terminal 5 and placed into an ambulance appeared conscious and on her feet before she was put on a stretcher, according to KCAL9.

Three weeks ago to the day, Hernandez, 39, was killed inside Terminal 3 by a gunman allegedly targeting TSA agents who pulled a semi-automatic weapon from a duffel bag and began shooting.

With the 11-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period starting today, it is one of the busiest travel days at the airport.

- City News Service