LAX was the scene of a high-speed police chase last week when a driver burst through a gate and onto the tarmac.
The driver crashed through a chain-link fence at Los Angeles International Airport’s FedEx warehouse and sped past several jumbo jets before zooming across two runways on 24 June, according to CBS Local Las Angeles.
Sources told the outlet the chase may be the worst security breach at a US airport in 10 years.
Airport police told CBS the suspect was driving a grey Mazda hatchback with “SOS” written on the hood and entered the south side of the airport off the Imperial Highway.
Here’s the suspect vehicle. Looks like an older model Mazda 3…note the hood which appears to say SOS, possibly outlined in electrical tape? pic.twitter.com/G14gL8OxxX
— Desmond Shaw (@RoadSageLA) June 25, 2021
Police chased the driver to a private jet terminal where they managed to surround the vehicle and make an arrest.
The driver was hospitalised for a leg injury and faces charges of grand theft auto and felony vandalism.
The suspect’s motives are not yet clear, however, according to The Sun, the chase coincided with Prince Harry’s arrival at the airport.
The Prince was catching a flight to the UK for the unveiling of a Princess Diana statue earlier this week.
LAX briefly closed its south runways after the incident to allow for police to inspect the area, the airport said on Twitter.
Airport police and operations have inspected the south airfield following police activity that briefly closed the south runways. One south runway has reopened and the other will open shortly. The north runways continued operating normally.
— LAX Airport (@flyLAXairport) June 25, 2021
LAX also made headlines this week when a rogue passenger tried to enter the cockpit on a SkyWest Airlines flight before jumping out of the planes emergency exit and onto the tarmac.
Travel Weekly has contacted LAX and the airport’s police for more details.
Featured image source: Twitter/@roadsagela
