Philadelphia

TSA finds ‘surprising number of prohibited items' in woman's bag, including 82 fireworks, 3 knives

The woman was stopped at Los Angeles International Airport while attempting to board a flight to Philadelphia, the Transportation Security Administration said.

In Terminal 4 at LAX, a TSA officer flagged a carry-on bag with 82 consumer grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and one canister of pepper spray.
Transportation Security Administration

Security at Los Angeles International Airport stopped a traveler from bringing "a surprising number of prohibited items" on a Philadelphia-bound flight, including dozens of fireworks and multiple weapons, officials said.

The incident unfolded at about 10 p.m. on Dec. 15 when Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers flagged a woman who had put her carry-on bag through the x-ray machine at Terminal 4, the agency said.

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The TSA officer "was shocked" to find that the bag contained "82 consumer grade fireworks, three knives, two replica firearms and one canister of pepper spray," according to a TSA statement on Friday.

It wasn't immediately clear if the traveler was arrested or barred from boarding her flight to Philadelphia.

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“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 statement.

“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. "

Pantages urged travelers to be particularly mindful this week as millions of holiday travelers clog airport security lines in a setting that's already busy enough.

"We are in the midst of the holiday travel season when security checkpoints will be busy everywhere," Pantages said. "Let this incident serve as a reminder to all travelers to double-check the contents of your bag prior to coming to the airport.”

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