The crash occurred at approximately 7:30 p.m. Airport officials said a woman driving on the lower level had a medical incident that caused her to lose control of her car and hit several other vehicles in front of Terminal 5.
When officers responded to the crash, there were reports from passengers that shots were fired at Terminal 5, Los Angeles World Airports, the organization that runs LAX, said in a statement. Police quickly determined that no shots were fired.
While this was occurring, an anonymous caller to airport police reported there was a man with a weapon at Gate 45 in Terminal 4.
An arriving passenger told Eyewitness News that police came through Terminal 4 with guns drawn, telling everyone to get down while the scene was checked. The same passenger said she was earlier in Terminal 5 when people heard a loud crash and people screaming.
Some passengers voluntarily evacuated. Out of an abundance of caution, the terminal was fully evacuated so it could be searched and cleared.
Terminal 4 has been secured and cleared for repopulation with employees returning to work locations first and passengers rescreening through TSA passenger security screening, according to LAWA.
All vehicular traffic in the Central Terminal Area was diverted from the Upper Level Roadway to the Lower Level during the investigation, LAWA said.
LAX officials said about 4,600 travelers were impacted by the incident. Delta Airlines in Terminal 5 and American Airlines in Terminal 4 reported a total of 60 delayed flights, but there were no cancellations. Delta Airlines diverted four arriving flights to regional airports.
