Suspicious Bag Forces Temporary Evacuation Of LAX Terminal, Creates Massive Backup

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – On what is expected to be one of the biggest travel days since the pandemic began, Terminal 2 at Los Angeles International Airport was temporarily evacuated Friday morning due to a suspicious bag, creating havoc and chaos among travelers and delaying several flights.

The unattended bag was discovered by Los Angeles Airport Police at about 7 a.m. on the upper level of the Terminal 2 ticket area and K-9s sensed something suspicious.

Along with evacuating the terminal, traffic lanes on the upper/departures level were also closed, the airport said.

A little after 8 a.m., the airport confirmed that the suspicious bag was cleared and the terminal had been reopened. However, video from the scene showed hundreds of travelers crowded outside on the sidewalk waiting to check in their bags. Several flights were also delayed because of the issue.

"Our plane is supposed to be taking off in 30 minutes," said Kevin Mitchell as he stood on the curb.

"I don't even know if you can call this a line anymore, it's like a cluster of people, but I'm confident we're gonna make it through," flier Isabella Nassir added.

The contents of the bag were not disclosed. It's unclear if authorities found the owner.

Terminal 2 houses several airlines including Delta, Virgin, Aerolitoral, Aer Lingus and Aeromexico.

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