LAX police have arrested a suspect who set up dry ice bombs around Los Angeles International Airport. The airport worker will be charged with two counts of possessing a destructive device in a public place.
Dicarlo Bennett, 28, was caught planting ice bombs at the airport. He is a baggage handler for an airport service company. He was being held on $1 million bail and will be arraigned later at the airport branch courthouse, the Associated Press reports.
Bennett told police that he set up the ice bombs as "a game" and "a funny kind of joke," No one was injured by the blasts that went off on Sunday. They were set up in areas that are only accessible to employees.
"This guy was playing around. It was kind of a game to him. He thought it was funny. He had no intent to attack innocent victims. There was no political motive or agenda," Los Angeles police Deputy Chief Michael Downing told CNN.
Bennett may receive a punishment of six years in jail for the "joke."
"I think he was surprised because now he is in jail on a million dollars bail. But this is serious. And when you place a destructive device near an airplane, it bumps up the seriousness," Downing added.
Airport officials have changed their policy on how dry ice is discarded. Airports will now require employees to return dry ice to a warehouse instead of leaving it out on the tarmac. Airport officials will work in coordination with law enforcement authorities over the next week to discuss other possible security changes at the airport.
The dry ice bombs at the airport included a 20-ounce plastic bottle packed with dry ice which went off in an employee bathroom. Another went off on the airport tarmac on Sunday. An employee found a third bomb on the tarmac on Monday. It hadn't exploded.
Police officials believe the bombs were set off "out of a desire to construct and experience a device exploding," Los Angeles police Lt. John Karle told AP. He said it was a foolish and negligent thing to do.
Police found the suspect by interviewing witnesses and watching surveillance video. There are some cameras located in employee areas but they aren't as prevalent as in public areas. Police say that the airport needs to install more security cameras in these areas.
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