Accidental gun firing at Atlanta airport caused panic and halted flights

Photo: Rob Carr / Getty Images

The accidental discharge of a weapon from a passenger in an area of Security at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia sparked widespread panic Saturday afternoon, three non-life threatening injuries and a brief disruption to outbound flights during the busy holiday travel weekend of Thanksgivin g.

The passenger was going through the screening process around 1: 20 pm when “someone recognized that there was a gun in the bag” airport spokesman Andrew Gobeil told CNN’s Jim Acosta .

“When the officer came in or when the passenger came to look for it, it was accidentally discharged,” Gobeil said, and the loud noise created a “sense of chaos.”

According to Gobeil , after the gun was fired, the passenger “took off and was able to get out of the airport.”

Airport officials and Atlanta police they know who the individual is, Gobeil added, because the incident occurred while the passenger was being examined.

Erika Zeidler, who was traveling from Atlanta to Anchorage , Alaska, told CNN that she was sitting in a restaurant on Concourse T when people started running down the aisle.

late for a flight, and then more and more people started running, ”he told Acosta. “There was some screaming and then someone stopped and said, ‘There’s a shooter, you have to go.’”

The investigation into the incident is ongoing, Gobeil said. Meanwhile, there is no danger to passengers or employees, airport officials said on Twitter. The officials gave “all clear” and the airport resumed its normal operations.

The authorities reported three people injured, with injuries that do not represent a danger for their lives.