A passenger awaiting a bag search at the Atlanta airport’s main security checkpoint reached in the bag and grabbed a firearm, and it went off, causing chaos among travellers and prompting a temporary FAA ground stop on flights Saturday afternoon, officials said.
He then fled. The man, later identified as a convicted felon, ran with the gun from the checkpoint and escaped out an airport exit, the Transportation Security Administration said.
Authorities said it was not an active shooter incident and described the discharge as accidental. Police said later they had issued a warrant for the arrest of the passenger, 42-year-old convicted felon Kenny Wells.