UPDATE: The gunman in a shooting Friday at Los Angeles Airport was wounded and taken into custody after prompting authorities to evacuate a terminal and stop flights headed for the city from taking off from other airports, officials say.
Gunshots were reported at Terminal 3 just around 9:30 a.m., the FBI said. One witness said a person with an AR-15 rifle opened fire after getting through a security checkpoint. Officials tell Fox News that one TSA worker was shot. Police say a total of three people were injured. It is unclear if the suspected gunman was included in their tally. The extent of the injuries were unclear, but the suspected gunman was reportedly shot in the leg.
The Los Angeles Times reports that two or three TSA employees were hit by gunfire. A Witness, Brian Keech, reported he heard “about a dozen gunshots” from inside the security gate at Terminal 3.
Fire officials said they are responding to assist multiple patients with injuries and the city was placed on a tactical alert. First responders are at the scene, and a TSA agent was receiving treatment. There are six LAPD helicopters hovering over LAX and heavily armed emergency response teams could be seen at the airport.
Bill Reiter, who is a writer for FoxSports.com, was at the scene and sent out a tweet:
When gunfire broke out there was a stampede people, all of us hiding under seats we didn't fit under, we burst through the door to outside.
— Bill Reiter (@foxsportsreiter) November 1, 2013
Soon after, Reiter provided an update via Twitter:
Current scene at LAX. We WAIS as children, wonderfully oblivious, play. pic.twitter.com/GG3gcW0sha
— Bill Reiter (@foxsportsreiter) November 1, 2013
The airlines that use the terminal are Allegiant Air, Frontier, JetBlue, Spirit, Virgin America and Virgin Australia. All upper level roadways are temporarily blocked by law enforcement. Outside of arriving flights, all LAX flight operations have been temporary suspended.
DEVELOPING: An unknown incident at Terminal 3 caused officials to conduct a Los Angeles Airport evacuation Friday morning, Los Angeles Airport Police said.
Details surrounding the incident were not immediately clear, but passengers reported being evacuated from the terminal sometime after 9 a.m. There were eyewitness reports of a shooting, but those reports were not immediately confirmed. One witness said a person with a gun opened fire after getting through a security checkpoint.
Los Angeles police have placed the city on tactical alert, MyFoxLA.com reported.
UPDATE: There are reports that one gunmen was taken into custody after being shot in the leg by Los Angeles Police officials.
