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.

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.

“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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