2 People Detained at Los Angeles Airport After Reports of Armed Individual: Officials

Approximately 300 passengers were evacuated from Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 1 onto the airfield, leaving two people injured.

Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles on Aug. 9, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Two people were detained at the Los Angeles International Airport after airport officers responded to reports of an individual with a firearm on Thursday evening.

In a statement, LAX said a security incident was reported at about 7:30 p.m., which prompted the self-evacuation of some 300 passengers from Terminal 1 onto the airfield. Flights were temporarily grounded, before the airport fully reopened by 9:12 p.m.

Police said that by 7:50 p.m. there was no threat or active shooter at the airport, according to a statement from LAX. No shots were fired and no weapon was recovered, the airport added.

Two people sustained minor to moderate injuries during the self-evacuation, and were treated by the Los Angeles Fire Department, the airport said.

Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department told KTLA 5 that a 40-year-old man was injured, but didn’t require medical treatment in hospital, while another person, whose age and gender are unknown, was taken to a local hospital.

Speaking with ABC7 shortly after the incident, one passenger said the pilot said someone believed they saw an individual with a firearm and shouted, “Gun!”

“All runways are open and traffic is moving normally. Check your flight information in case of changes tonight,” LAX said in its latest update on Twitter.

“Passengers who self-evacuated from Terminal 1 earlier can reclaim their belongings at baggage claim inside the lower level of Terminal 1,” the airport added.

One social media user, who claims she was in Terminal 1 at the time of the incident, wrote on Twitter that she and her friend “were scared for our lives.”

“The whole situation and the hours after have been handled so poorly,” she wrote.