A man carrying what appeared to be hand grenades and loaded firearms was stopped at a traffic checkpoint heading into Los Angeles International Airport Friday, leading to a massive police presence and street closures that stifled traffic, but the weapons turned out to be fake.
The suspected weapons were discovered in the back of a white pickup around 8:30 a.m. at a checkpoint near Century and Sepulveda boulevards. Police immediately shut down traffic in the area, causing miles-long backups on northbound Sepulveda and westbound Century
Police swarmed around the truck, and a bomb squad was summoned to the scene. But about an hour later, airport police declared the situation over.
Officers determined that the “weapons” found inside the truck were actually collectible items of the type used as movie-type props of rifles and grenades, and none was operational, Airport police Officer Rob Pedregon said.
“The gentleman was a memorabilia collector, and all of the items were legally possessed,” Pedregon said. “No crime was committed.”
The pickup truck had been randomly picked to be searched at the checkpoint, Pedregon said.