Crime & Safety
Man Allegedly Brandishes Gun in LAX's Terminal 3
The man allegedly pulled an unloaded handgun out of his bag in the same terminal that saw a gunman shoot and kill a TSA officer last week.
A 27-year-old San Jose man suspected of brandishing a gun in Terminal 3 at Los Angeles International Airport, one week after a gunman shot and killed a Transportation Security Administration officer in the same terminal, was in custody today.
The man, whose name was not released, allegedly took an unloaded handgun out of his checked bag after retrieving his luggage upon arrival at the airport, Los Angeles Airport Police Sgt. Karla Ortiz said.
The arrest was made just before 9 p.m. Friday, Ortiz said, adding that several witnesses saw him take the gun from his bag.
The weapon, described as a small handgun, which had been declared when the man checked in for his Virgin Atlantic flight from San Francisco, was recovered by police, Ortiz said.
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It was the second scare at the airport Friday night, Ortiz said.
A Los Angeles man checking in for a TACA Airlines flight in the ticketing area of Terminal 2 around 8 p.m. said he had some kind of explosive in his luggage when asked if he was carrying anything dangerous, Ortiz said.
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Police evacuated the ticketing area until a Los Angeles Police Department bomb squad arrived and determined there was no threat, Ortiz said.
The man was identified as Oscar Gomez of Los Angeles, she said.
Gomez, who said he was only joking, was booked on suspicion of making a false statement of having explosive material, Ortiz said.
The 55-year-old Gomez was being held at the LAPD's Pacific Station in lieu of $20,000 bail, according to sheriff's online booking records.
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