Passenger detained at LAX for having 82 fireworks in carry-on
By Lilit Marcus, CNN
(CNN) — It takes a lot to shock the TSA, but one traveler managed to pull it off when agents found dozens of fireworks and weapons in her carry-on luggage.
The woman’s bag was flagged for search at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)’s terminal 4 on December 15 when a screener saw suspicious items on the X-ray machine.
Inside were 82 fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and a canister of pepper spray.
“The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning,” LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages said in a press statement.
“Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.”
According to the TSA, the woman was carrying consumer-grade fireworks, which are generally weaker in explosiveness than fireworks used in professional displays.
Regardless, explosives such as fireworks are never permitted in luggage – whether checked or carried on.
Knives, replica firearms, and small amounts of pepper spray can be put in checked bags for domestic flights.
The passenger, who was flying to Philadelphia, was interviewed by police while the LAX bomb squad confiscated the fireworks.
And the explosives-toting traveler isn’t the only passenger who has tried to bring contraband through LAX in recent weeks.
Over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a California man allegedly attempted to check two suitcases filled with 70 pounds of meth-soaked clothing – including a cow onesie.
The man, who was booked on a United flight to Sydney, was arrested at LAX after customs officers detected “irregularities” in his luggage and searched the bags.
The TSA reports that 2.6 million people passed through airport security checkpoints across the United States on December 15, up from 2.5 million on the same date in 2023.
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