TSA officers at Los Angeles International Airport discovered a staggering array of prohibited items in a woman's carry-on bag bound for Philadelphia on Sunday.
The bag contained 82 consumer-grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms, and one canister of pepper spray. "The sheer number of prohibited items discovered in a single carry-on bag is extremely concerning," said LAX TSA Federal Security Director Jason Pantages.
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The LAX police department and the LAWA bomb squad responded to the incident. "It's extremely surprising the fact that somebody would think that it's OK to take fireworks, knives, replica firearms, onto an aircraft," said Pantages, "but it's not something that we don't see on a daily basis."
He emphasized the importance of bag safety, saying the traveler should have followed the TSA's 'tried-and-true advice'—empty your bag before packing for each trip to avoid unintentional stowaway items.
LAX expects a daily average of over 215,000 passengers between now and January 2. "We are in the midst of the holiday travel season when security checkpoints will be busy everywhere. Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport," Pantages said.
Travelers are encouraged to utilize the MyTSA app's "What Can I Bring?" feature or contact @AskTSA on Twitter or Facebook Messenger for guidance on permitted items to avoid being subject to the same civil penalties the woman is now potentially facing.
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