LAX on lockdown, flights grounded, passengers stranded on the runway and terminals evacuated after reports of an active shooter

Los Angeles ,August 29:Passengers have been evacuated after reports of a potential shooting at Los Angeles International Airport.

People at the airport claimed on social media that a man opened fire while near a baggage claim inside an arrivals terminal.

NBC Nightly News Anchor Lester Holt tweeted at 12:07am EST: ‘arriving at LAX off flight when people started pouring out of term 4 onto Tarmac. Security said “shots fired. Run!” Now in vehicle on taxiwy (sic).

‘Witness tells me she heard “pops” in lax term 4. Others say they just heard “run!” Those evacuated to Tarmac just allowed back in.’

JP Mangalindan, a reporter with Yahoo, also said he was in the terminal at the time of the shooting.

‘Shooters at LAX running around. Cops running around. I’m down on the ground,’ he tweeted at 11:51pm.

‘Shots allegedly originated at baggage claim. Cops sweeping and clearing terminals. Bags abandoned and strewn in corridors… Cops just asked me to empty my hands and inquired if I saw and heard anything.’

‘Police searching LAX after reports. All precautions being taken to ensure safety of public. Remain calm. Thank you for your cooperation,’ LA Airport PD tweeted.

LAX also tweeted that the reports of a shooting had not been confirmed and police were investigating.

Footage taken outside the airport showed a team of armed police officers surrounding a man dressed as Zorro and arrested him.

It is currently unclear whether the two situations are linked.

Another video showed the chaos as people ran screaming from the terminal as police cars approached the airport with sirens blaring. .

According to police the entrance to the airport had been blocked off.

Pictures posted on social media showed hundreds of passengers lined up on the tarmac and outside the terminal waiting for cars.

It comes just two weeks after there was a false alarm of a reported shooting at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City.

Passengers were told to take cover behind ‘anything’ they could find by police on August 14 – as the reports of gunfire in Terminal 8 caused mass panic.

Every passenger was evacuated from the terminal, some onto the runway, as an army of heavily armed police moved in to hunt for an apparently non-existent gunman.

One passenger said an officer screamed: ‘If you’re forgetting anything it’s not worth your life, everyone move now!’

Flights were grounded and authorities spent four hours searching the terminal – as well as Terminal 1 – where there was also a report of gunfire.

But the scare turned out to be a false alarm, with one theory speculating that ‘cheering’ for Usain Bolt’s victory in the 100m final may have been misinterpreted as gunfire.

More to come