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On Saturday, a man "pounced" a gun in his luggage at Atlanta Airport, triggering an explosion, sparking chaos and false reports about an active shooter.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that just after 1:30 pm on Saturday, the Hatfield-Jackson International Airport began to panic when an officer of the Transportation Security Administration searched after the X-ray machine was activated. Whether there are "prohibited items" in a package. The officer “advised the passenger not to touch the property. When he opened the compartment containing the prohibited items, the passenger rushed into the bag and grabbed a gun, and then it opened fire,” the official said.
According to officials, the passenger was identified as 42-year-old Kenny Wells, who fled the area after the incident and ran out of the airport exit.
#BREAKING Active shooter reported at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport. Pray everyone is okay 🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/RViaZbX8AX
Officials said at a press conference that the Atlanta Police Department has issued an arrest warrant to arrest Wells on charges of carrying hidden weapons at a commercial airport and convicted felony possession of a firearm.
The ensuing enthusiasm caused passengers to flee the airport or hit the deck, worrying about the worst. TSA stated that at least 3 people were injured and no life threatened.
According to APD, an individual applied for EMS after the fall in the airport atrium, which is not in the same area as the security checkpoint. The other two said they were short of breath.
Within half an hour, airport officials confirmed that there were no active gunmen at the scene. TSA stated that while the Atlanta Police Department was further investigating the incident, it decided to activate a temporary stop.
"There are no active shooters at the airport. APD is on the scene. More information about the situation will be available on our social media channels," the airport official tweeted at 2:28 pm on Saturday.
A video posted by user @BlackDiveModels on Twitter shows that at least some parts of the airport have been evacuated, with hundreds of people waiting on the tarmac outside the terminal.
In one video, air passengers can be seen lying next to their luggage on the ground in the airport because the staff repeatedly urged them to "come down!" Another video showed a woman evacuating onto the tarmac against the background of the sound of a police siren.
"Some crazy things happened and they made us all evacuate to the tarmac," the lady said. "It's very disturbing. Oh my god. I'm shaking."
Airport officials tweeted at 1:57 pm that there was no "active shooter" and no one in the airport was in danger.
"There is not an active shooter. An accidental discharge occurred at the airport. There is no danger to passengers or employees. The investigation is ongoing," the tweet said.
Officials said that by 3:20 pm, APD cleared the airport and TSA began to recheck passengers.