LAX dry ice bomb suspect held on $1-million bail
A ground service employee at Los Angeles International Airport was in custody on $1-million bail Wednesday after he was arrested in connection with a series of dry ice bomb explosions at the airport.
Dicarlo Bennett, 28, was arrested in Paramount on suspicion of possessing and exploding a “destructive device near an aircraft,” the LAPD said.
Bennett is an employee at Servisair, which provides ground services at LAX. Public records indicate he lives in South Los Angeles.
A Facebook account registered to a Dicarlo Bennett said he studied at Santa Monica College and was a former ramp supervisor for Servisair.
Authorities said three dry ice bombs were found in areas off-limits to the public, leading LAPD investigators and other officials to concentrate on airport workers -- particularly those with access to the tarmac.
The first device -- a 20-ounce plastic bottle filled with dry ice -- was discovered about 7 p.m. Sunday after it exploded in an employee-only restroom at Terminal 2, authorities said. No injuries were reported, but operations in the terminal were suspended and some flights delayed as the LAPD bomb squad cleared the scene.
On Monday, the LAPD was again notified after an airport employee found a plastic bottle that was fizzing -- but had not exploded -- on the tarmac outside the Tom Bradley International Terminal, officials said.
The employee told police he had cleaned up a similar object on Sunday that had apparently exploded in the same area, LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Downing said. The employee said it wasn’t until he spotted the bottle Monday that he realized what it was.
A fourth object initially thought to be another bomb was found on the tarmac Monday, but it was later determined to be trash, police said. LAPD officials initially offered conflicting reports about the number of devices found.
“Whether you think this is a harmless prank or a way to disrupt operations at the airport, it won’t matter,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said. “You will go to jail.”
Bennett was being held in lieu of $1-million bail, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department records.
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Times staff writers Joel Rubin and Joseph Serna contributed to this report.
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