A passenger
'lunged' into his bag and discharged a gun after a TSA officer spotted it
via x-ray
A passenger
accidentally discharged a gun at a checkpoint in a busy Atlanta airport on
Saturday.
The TSA said the
man "lunged" into his bag when the gun was flagged by the x-ray
machine.
The man then fled
the airport, still holding his gun. Police are searching for him.
A passenger
sparked panic and chaos at an Atlanta airport on Saturday after he
"lunged" into his bag and discharged a firearm that had been
flagged on a security x-ray machine, the TSA said Saturday.
An officer at the
main security checkpoint of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport noticed the gun via the x-ray machine, told the passenger not to
touch the bag, and then opened the bag's compartment containing the gun,
TSA officials said in a statement. But the passenger then "lunged into
the bag and grabbed a firearm, at which point it discharged."
The passenger fled
the scene, running out of the adjacent airport exit while still holding the
gun, TSA federal security director Robert Spinden told reporters at a press
conference.
Police identified
the suspect as 42-year-old Kenny Wells and said they've issued a warrant
for his arrest on charges of carrying a concealed weapon at a commercial
airport, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, discharging a
firearm, and reckless conduct.
"We are
actively pursuing this individual as we speak," Maj. Reginald Moorman
of the Atlanta Police Department said at the press conference
The
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport called the incident an
"accidental discharge" and emphasized that there was no active
shooter. The incident occurred around 1:30 p.m. and the Atlanta Police
Department gave an "all-clear" by 3:20 p.m., the TSA said.
By Saturday
evening, the airport said operations were "quickly returning to
normal."
The TSA said three
people received non-life-threatening injuries.
Passengers told
Insider's Katie Balevic they heard screams and saw waves of "terrified
people" running to safety. A number of photos and videos on social
media showed the frenzied aftermath of the discharge. Passengers ran or
took cover on the ground, knocking over security barriers and abandoning
luggage.
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