2 Arrested at LAX Impersonating Officers

March 19, 2007
A man and woman in plainclothes who claimed to have peace officer authority to transport a prisoner out of state entered a screening area in the airport's Terminal 3 on Friday morning.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Police arrested two people at Los Angeles International Airport on suspicion of impersonating peace officers and have charged one of them with carrying a concealed weapon, airport police said Saturday.

A man and woman in plainclothes who claimed to have peace officer authority to transport a prisoner out of state entered a screening area in the airport's Terminal 3 on Friday morning, said Los Angeles Airport police spokeswoman Belinda Nettles.

The woman said she was carrying a firearm, and both claimed they had written documents indicating they were authorized to carry firearms, Nettles said.

Airport police ran a check and found that neither was a police officer, and the woman did not have a permit to carry a gun.

Officials declined to release the pair's names. Meanwhile, the FBI said it was assisting local authorities in investigating.

No further details were released.