A 9mm handgun and two, 10-round loaded ammunition magazines were discovered in a vehicle at Los Angeles International Airport Tuesday during a random vehicle checkpoint stop, authorities said.
The gun and ammunition were found about 9:30 a.m. at a vehicle checkpoint set up at the airport as part of “Operation Safe Entry,” according to Marshall McClain, president of the Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association, the union representing airport police officers.
The unidentified driver told airport police officers he had the weapon in his car because it is dangerous in Los Angeles, McClain said.
There’s no word on whether the driver was cited or arrested for possession of the weapon in his car.
LAWA police Sgt. Holmes, who declined to provide her first name, said she had no information regarding the incident. Holmes also declined to discuss Operation Safe Entry.
“It’s an in-house program and I am not going to give you any information on it,” Holmes said.
According to McClain, Operation Safe Entry is responsible for checking over 50,000 vehicles annually at its checkpoints.