Crime & Safety
Updated: Air Travel Alert: Shooting at LAX Impacting Bay Area Flights
TSA agent possibly dead, others shot, alleged gunman wounded; Los Angeles planes grounded.
Update: 1:45 p.m. Nov. 1
An alleged shooter at Los Angeles International Airport is suspected to have acted alone when he walked into Terminal 3 at 9:20 a.m., pulled an assault rifle from a bag and opened fire, according to Los Angeles Airport Police Department Chief Patrick Gannon.
The gunman was wounded in a shootout with police and taken into custody, Gannon said at a press briefing.
"We believe he was a lone shooter," Gannon said.
Gannon said the man at first opened fire -- seeming to be randomly spraying bullets -- in the terminal, then headed to the Transportation Security Administration screening area and shot at TSA agents, before proceeding past the screeners and into the airport.
The activity was confined to Terminal 3, he said.
The killing of one TSA agent is being reported by news media at the scene, however, the death has not been officially confirmed by authorities.
Others injured by gunfire were transported to area hospitals. No numbers of shooting victims have been released.
Bomb squads are reportedly on site sweeping airport terminals and passenger luggage. Flights are at a standstill.
##################
Update: 12:25 p.m. Nov. 1
By Bay City News Service
A shooting at Los Angeles International Airport this morning has caused delays and cancellations of some flights to and from Bay Area airports, officials said.
At San Francisco International Airport, two Southwest Airlines flights from SFO to LAX have been canceled, and many flights from LAX to SFO are seeing delays of as much as two hours, airport spokesman Doug Yakel said.
Yakel said the impact of the shooting will differ by airline. Virgin America, for instance, operates from the terminal at LAX where the shooting appears to have occurred, he said.
"Our best advice is for passengers to check with their airlines for updated flight info," Yakel said.
At Oakland International Airport, some Southwest Airlines flights have also been canceled or delayed, while other airlines such as Delta appear to be mostly on time, airport spokesman Brian Kidd said.
Officials at Mineta San Jose International Airport were not immediately available for comment.
Following the shooting, San Francisco police are operating terminal saturation patrols at SFO out of an "abundance of caution," Officer Albie Esparza said.
Police are in contact with the FBI, which is leading the investigation into the LAX shooting, the Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Marshals Service, Esparza said. "We are continuing to monitor the situation in Los Angeles and will remain deployed until further notice," he said.
##############
10 a.m. Nov. 1:
A reported shooting this morning of a Transportation Security Administration agent at Los Angeles International Airport may lead to delays of flights in and out of Bay Area airports, according to news reports.
Travelers are advised to check their flight schedules.
Details are few on the possible shooting of a TSA agent and a suspect, but according to a story in the Los Angeles Times, two LAX terminals are being evacuated and flights are grounded.
To read the LA Times story and view live news feed, click here.
Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
