LAX SCARE: A car crash triggered a large police response

LAX SCARE: A car crash triggered a large police response at Los Angeles International Airport after the collision was mistaken for gunfire                    

At the same time the sound of a car crash scared passengers into thinking shots were fired at Los Angeles International Airport Friday, travelers in another terminal were evacuated after a false report of a man with a weapon, airport officials said. Police received a call about 7:30 p.m. of possible shots fired, but upon investigation realized the loud noise of a multiple-car crash outside a parking structure between Terminal 4 and Terminal 5 incited a panic, according to LAX Police Sgt. Ortiz. After hearing the crash, travelers began to evacuate the airport on their own, Ortiz said. No shots were fired at the airport, he said. At least 2,000 passengers either left the airport on their own or were evacuated by airport police, LAX officials said. Police found no weapon and cleared both terminals for people to return inside just before 9 p.m. The incident comes in the wake of the Nov. 1 shooting, during which a lone gunman opened fire near Terminal 3, killing a TSA officer and wounding four others.                                           STORY