Security Scare Causes Panic in Honolulu Airport

Security Scare Causes Panic in Honolulu Airport

Two laptops overheated while being screened Tuesday at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. The overheating caused popping sounds and smoke, bringing about false reports of an active shooter.

After false reports of an active shooter Tuesday caused the main terminal of the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to shut down, many flights were delayed and hundreds of passengers waited for hours to go through security.

Around 2 p.m., two laptops overheated while being screened. The overheating caused a popping sounds and some puffs of smoke, and both TSOs and passengers going through security were alarmed. The incident caused some chaos, and TSA said some travelers “breached the security checkpoint by running into the sterile area of the airport without being screened.”

Witness Rob Giunta told local news station Hawaii News Now that the laptops were smoking in the luggage.

“There was some smoke coming out of one of the scanners, and the TSA agent started yelling ‘fire’ and telling people to run and get out,” Giunta said. “Six more came from the other side, and said, ‘Run, get out, there’s a fire.’ And everyone started stampeding each other, women being knocked down, kids.”

Other travelers reported that panic spread through the terminal quickly, and some people suffered minor injuries because of the chaos. The terminal was cleared completely, including passengers who had already passed through screening and were boarding flights. In addition, a traveler told the Associated Press that airport vendors and shops had to shut down and send their employees to be re-screened alongside the passengers.

United Airlines said it delayed four flights to provide passengers with enough time to go through security screening and board their planes.

About the Author

Kaitlyn DeHaven is the Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.