Police say reports of gunshots at LAX were only loud noises
Episode follows similar evacuation at New York's JFK airport earlier this month
Authorities are investigating multiple witness reports of shots fired inside the Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday night.
Forty-five minutes after the reports sparked panic and prompted mass evacuations, the Los Angeles Police Department said that no shots were fired at the airport and that police will continue to investigate the “loud noises” that caused the security alert.
LAPD responded to multiple 911 calls from three separate terminals inside the airport reporting a shooting at the airport around 9pm local time, NBC News reports.
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop for all flights departing for LAX until 10pm PT as the situation unfolded.
Lester Holt, an NBC News anchor at the scene, said that security officials yelled “shots fired” as the evacuations took place inside the airport.
On social media, passengers were seen running out of the airport, with some running onto a tarmac.
Earlier this month, unfounded reports of an active shooter at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport caused panic as passengers ran for cover and began hiding in the facility.