Flights heading to Los Angeles International Airport were being held on Friday as police investigate a shooting that took place in the morning.
The Federal Aviation Administration wrote on its website that all jets that were set to take off for LAX were being held at their departure airports due to the shooting in the airport's Terminal Three. The message reads, "Due to OTHER / SECURITY there is a Traffic Management Program in effect for traffic arriving Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, CA (LAX)."
According to Flight tracking site, FlightAware.com, "Los Angeles Intl (KLAX) is currently experiencing all inbound flights being held at their origin until friday at 12:30p PDT (3:30 EST) due to security." Flight tracking site FlightStats says that "There has been a shooting at terminal 3 at LAX. People are not being allowed to enter the airport. Departing flights are being held and arriving flights are being held or diverted to other airports." At least 100 flight had been delayed since 2 p.m. EST and six were cancelled.
Nearby airports were also on alert. "Obviously this is a very fluid operation and we're keeping a close eye,'' Perry Cooper, a spokesman for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport told USA Today. He added that their law enforcement officials were keeping in close contact with the Transportation Security Administration and FBI. "It may just be an isolated incident.''
All departing flights were grounded at least an hour after the shooting as police had to evacuate the terminals. Buses were made available to drive passengers off of the tarmac. Airport roadways were blocked to keep people from arriving at the airport.
According to the Los Angeles Times, a TSA agent and the suspect were wounded in the shooting. A man had opened fire with a rifle near the security checkpoint. The suspect is alive and in custody.
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