Chaos at LAX after unfounded reports of an active shooter

An LAX sign at night.
(Image credit: David McNew/Getty Images)

Traffic is now gridlocked and flights delayed following the unfounded report of an active shooter Sunday night at Los Angeles International Airport.

LAX is the third busiest airport in the U.S. and the seventh busiest in the world. An LAPD spokesman said no shots were fired, and it was actually loud noises that triggered panicked 911 calls at around 9 p.m. The airport shut down the upper departure level and lower arrival level of the central terminal, and a ground stop was temporarily initiated. Witnesses told KTLA passengers were sprinting away from the terminals, leaving their bags behind as they ran, and some were trying to hide in luggage chutes. Other passengers stood outside on the tarmac. By 10:30 p.m., some terminals were cleared and passengers were allowed back in to be re-screened.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.