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.