Gun Violence: Los Angeles Airport Shooting Suspect in custody
A suspect in a multiple-victim shooting incident at Los Angeles International Airport has been taken into custody and is the only suspect in the incident, a Los Angeles police spokeswoman said on Friday.
Police spokeswoman Officer Norma Eisenman said that the suspect was taken into custody after being “engaged by airport police,” and that a bomb squad was carrying out a sweep of the area.
She said multiple people were hit by gunfire, but their condition was unknown. Airport staff evacuated travelers, and flights were disrupted nationwide.
“The general public is being held back at law enforcement bock. Other than arriving flights, flight operations have been temporary held,” airport spokeswoman Katherine Alvarado said in an emailed statement.
Live TV footage showed armed police on the top of parking structures, while multiple ambulances were parked outside a terminal building.
The LA Fire Department tweeted that its officers were assisting law enforcement at a “multi-patient incident at LAX.”
TV footage showed one person on a gurney, being loaded into an ambulance. Another victim was seen being rushed away on a wheelchair.
The incident began at around 9:30am local time (1630 GMT) at Terminal 3 of the airport, according to the LAX Twitter feed.
Hundreds of travellers could be seen streaming away from at least one terminal building, while multiple ambulances and emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.
Other passengers lined up on the tarmac near an aircraft, as officials scrambled to manage flights and travellers amid the unfolding incident.