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| SWAT officers search a parking structure during a security check at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday Nov. 1, 2013. A gunman armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire at the airport on Friday, killing a Transportation Security Administration employee and wounding two other people |
LOS ANGELES
(AP) -- A man carrying a note that said he wanted to "kill TSA" pulled a
semi-automatic rifle from a bag and shot his way past a security
checkpoint at Los Angeles International Airport on Friday, cutting down
one Transportation Security Administration officer and wounding at least
three others, authorities said.
The gunman
was wounded in a shootout with airport police and taken into custody,
authorities said. His condition was not disclosed.
The
attack at the nation's third-busiest airport sent terrified travelers
running for cover and disrupted more than 700 flights across the U.S.,
many of which were held on the ground at LAX or not allowed to take off
for Los Angeles from other airports.
The slain
security worker was the first TSA officer killed in the line of duty in
the 12-year history of the agency, which was founded in the aftermath
of 9/11.
The FBI and Los Angeles Airport
Police identified the gunman as Paul Ciancia, 23, of Pennsville, N.J. He
had apparently been living in Los Angeles.
A
law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the
person was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly, said
Ciancia was wearing fatigues and carrying a bag containing a handwritten
note that said he wanted to kill TSA employees and "pigs."
Ciancia
had at least five full 30-round magazines on him, said the official,
who was briefed at LAX on the investigation. The official said Ciancia
was shot in the mouth and leg by two airport police officers.
Early
Friday afternoon, Ciancia's father in New Jersey had called authorities
for help in finding his son after the young man sent one of his
siblings a text message about committing suicide, Pennsville Police
Chief Allen Cummings said.
The chief said he
called Los Angeles police, which sent a patrol car to Ciancia's
apartment. There, two roommates said that they had seen him Thursday and
that he was fine, according to Cummings.
Cummings
said that the Ciancias - owners of an auto body shop - are a "good
family" and that his department had had no dealings with the son.
The
attack began around 9:20 a.m. when the gunman pulled an assault-style
rifle from a bag and began firing inside Terminal 3, Los Angeles Airport
Police Chief Patrick Gannon said. The terminal serves such airlines as
Virgin America, AirTran, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and JetBlue.
The
gunman then went to the security screening area, where he fired more
shots and went into the secure area of the terminal, Gannon said.
Officers exchanged fire with him and seized him, Gannon said.
As
gunfire rang out, panicked travelers dropped to the ground. Those who
had made it past security ran out of the terminal and onto the tarmac or
took cover inside restaurants and lounges.
"We
just hit the deck. Everybody in the line hit the floor and shots just
continued," said Xavier Savant, who was waiting in the security line
where the shooting took place. He described it as a "Bam! Bam! Bam!"
burst of gunfire.
Savant said people bolted through the metal detectors and ran into the terminal.
"My
whole thing was to get away from him," said Savant, an advertising
creative director who was heading to New York with his family for a
weekend trip.
Just a few weeks ago, airport
police and the Los Angeles Police Department had jointly trained for a
similar shooting scenario, according to Gannon, who said officers told
him the drill was critical in preparing them for the real thing.
While
Terminal 3 remained closed, much of the rest of the airport continued
operating, though with some disruptions. Some LAX-bound flights that
were already in the air were diverted to other airports.
The
ripple effect across the country delayed thousands of travelers.
Hundreds of stranded passengers streamed into hotels near LAX.
At
least three other TSA officers were wounded, said J. David Cox Sr.,
national president of the American Federation of Government Employees.
Their conditions were not disclosed.
The
officer who was killed was one of the behavioral detection officers that
are stationed throughout the airport, looking for suspicious behavior,
Cox said.
Ben Rosen was sitting at the
Starbucks eating oatmeal when he heard gunfire erupt and saw people
running in all directions or crouching. He grabbed his phone and tried
to lie as flat on the ground as he could.
Police showed up with guns drawn, shouting, "This is not a drill! Hands up!"
People
put their hands up and then were led out of the terminal to the
adjacent international terminal, Rosen said. As they were led out they
saw broken glass from a window that looked as if it had been shot out.
Rosen left his bag behind.
It was not the
first shooting at LAX. On July 4, 2002, a limousine driver opened fire
at the airport's El Al ticket counter, killing an airline employee and a
person who was dropping off a friend at the terminal. Police killed the
man.
