Travelers at Los Angeles International Airport were in a panic Friday night after a car crashed near one terminal and an anonymous phone call reported a gunman in another.
"It started when a minivan crashed into a stairwell in a lower level terminal. That sound of the crash, people thought it was gunshots."(Via WFTS)
According to an LAX spokesperson, several people outside Terminal 5 reported they heard gunfire after the accident and even began evacuating on their own. (Via KCAL)
But it turns out the loud noises and screaming were the result of a woman who lost control of her SUV on the airport's arrival loop. (Via KTTV)
USA Today reports the driver hit another woman who was walking on the sidewalk, then smashed into a parking garage near Terminal 5.
And soon after the crash, the airport apparently received a phone call reporting a gunman at a gate in Terminal 4.
Police were called to the scene and immediately searched Terminals 4 and 5. Both were temporarily evacuated as a precaution. Authorities confirmed no shots were fired. (Via KNBC)
Airport officials say, in total, around 2,000 people were forced to leave the airport, and dozens of flights were delayed or diverted because of the chaos. (Via WXIA)
But at a press conference later Friday night, LAX officials said the airport was "finally" starting to resume normal operations.
The scare comes just three weeks after a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint, killing a TSA agent and wounding six others. (Via ABC)
Airport officials said the driver who caused the crash had a "medical emergency" which caused her to lose control of her vehicle. She is injured, and the woman she hit on the sidewalk is reportedly in serious condition.
