Law enforcement agencies will hold two-day active shooter drill at LAX
Around 300 people including law enforcement officers and volunteers will take part in an active shooter drill at Los Angeles International Airport over two days this week, federal authorities said.
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations at LAX will conduct the drill at Terminal 4 from 3 to 11 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
The airport does not expect the exercises to cause any delays, Los Angeles World Airports spokeswoman Becca Doten said.
“The training won’t be out in the open or visible to travelers,” she said.
The two-day drill will involve 12 agencies and happen at one gate and one baggage area but will not affect national or international flights at the terminal, said Jaime Ruiz, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman.
LAX was the scene of a fatal shooting in 2013. A Transportation Security Administration officer was killed and three other people were injured by a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle who shot up Terminal 3 one November morning.
The man who was fatally shot, Gerardo Hernandez, was the first TSA officer slain on duty since the agency was created in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The chaotic and disorganized response to the shooting by emergency personnel led to a highly critical report, noting that poor communication and a lack of coordination between various agencies led to delays reaching victims and sent thousands of passengers fleeing onto nearby streets and airport ramps.
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