Car Crashes LAX Ticket Area

A car careened through the United Airlines ticket area at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday evening, smashing glass doors and knocking aside waiting passengers and luggage before crashing into a wall as the driver apparently tried to drive out to the street again.

Five people suffered minor injures in the incident, including a man who was carried at high speed on the hood of the car for several seconds, witnesses said.

The driver, Leroy Wilson, 69, of Los Angeles, was arrested on suspicion of felony drunk driving, police said. Police officers, who were in the departure terminal investigating a bomb threat, said the man smelled of alcohol. Sgt. Tony Morgan of the West Traffic Division said Wilson claimed the accelerator on his car stuck.

The incident occurred at 5 p.m., as about 100 people waited in line at the United Airlines ticket counter on the upper level at the airport. Witnesses said the car, a silver Omega, crashed through a set of double entrance doors, bounced off a wooden planter and headed through the terminal at speeds witnesses guessed about 50 m.p.h.

Several people said it appeared the man had control of the car and was steering for another set of double doors when the car came to rest against the wall. In all, the car traveled about 150 feet, accompanied by the sounds of screeching tires and screaming passengers, authorities said.

Glyn Fearby, a jewelry store employee from Daventry, England, said he heard a crash and turned to see the car heading for him. He was hit and tossed onto the hood of the car, where he was carried for some distance before falling off. He suffered cuts and bruises but refused to go to the hospital.

Four other injured people were not identified, but included two young girls and two women, some of whom suffered possible neck and back injuries. They were taken to Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital and Daniel Freeman Marina Hospital.

The driver tried to run away from the accident, witnesses said, but was caught by police who had been called to the terminal to investigate a bomb threat. Police said they found a device, but it wasn’t a bomb.