Man arrested after jumping fence onto LAX runway

A man was arrested Monday on suspicion of trespassing and other charges after authorities say he jumped a fence and ran onto a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.

The incident occurred about 1:40 p.m. and delayed the departure of at least one flight.

The man, whom authorities described as a transient in his late 20s or early 30s, had no identification and appears to be suffering from mental health problems. Witnesses said they saw him running near Sepulveda and Lincoln boulevards, said Rob Pedregon, a Los Angeles Airport Police spokesman.

The man then scaled a fence that was near a Delta aircraft but was caught and arrested by officers within two minutes, Pedregon said.

“He got really close” to the Delta plane, Pedregon said, “and because of that, we had to have maintenance come out and do a quick security check and scan of the aircraft to make sure everything was in order before letting it depart.”

Officials also searched the runway for anything the man might have dropped, he said.

Pedregon said the man will probably face multiple charges, including trespassing, but officials will first address his mental health status.

alejandra.reyesvelarde@latimes.com

Twitter: @r_valejandra