The Transportation Security Administration at Los Angeles International Airport was in disbelief when they found a flyer’s bag filled with “prohibited items.”
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On Sunday Dec. 15th around 10 p.m., a traveler en route to Philadelphia attempted to board a flight when TSA flagged her luggage. According to a press release, the bag was then X-rayed revealing “multiple prohibited items.”
TSA officers are “used to seeing a variety of usual and unusual items brought by travelers in carry-on luggage.” This particular incident, however, “surprised even the longest tenured and most experienced TSA officer.”
“When the bag was opened with the passenger present, the TSA officer was shocked at its contents,” TSA said.
The luggage contained 82 consumer-grade fireworks, along with a “gamut of prohibited items.” Additional contraband included “two replica firearms, three knives, and a 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. “This traveler should have followed TSA’s tried and true advice—unpack your bag before you pack it to ensure you don’t bring any prohibited items to the security checkpoint.”
“We are in the midst of the holiday travel season when security checkpoints will be busy everywhere,” he added. “Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.”
TSA Reminds Flyers What Is and Isn’t Allowed On Flights
The traveler, who was a female, was then interviewed by the Los Angeles World Airport police department. The fireworks were also reportedly confiscated. Additional details about why the passenger brought the items in her luggage is unknown.
Following TSA’s discovery, the agency reminded travelers what is and isn’t allowed on flights. Fireworks “are never allowed on board an aircraft in carry-on or checked luggage.” Meanwhile, “knives and replica firearms should travel in checked baggage.”
Additionally, “One 4 ounce container of pepper spray is permitted in checked baggage provided it is equipped with a safety mechanism to prevent accidental discharge. Self-defense sprays containing more than 2 percent by mass of tear gas are prohibited in checked baggage.”