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The ramp to departures is seen blocked off by emergency vehicles at the New Orleans International Airport on Friday night in Kenner, La.
Jonathan Bachman/AP
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Jonathan Bachman/AP
The ramp to departures is seen blocked off by emergency vehicles at the New Orleans International Airport on Friday night in Kenner, La.
Jonathan Bachman/AP
A man was shot after reportedly attacking TSA agents at New Orleans Armstrong International Airport Friday evening, reports Eileen Fleming of member station WWNO.
Police report the man used a machete and wasp spray in the attack, Eileen reports:
“Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand tells reporters that the suspect is a 63-year-old man from the New Orleans suburb of Kenner who had been a taxi driver.
“One officer was cut with a machete. Another was sprayed in the face by wasp repellant. Those injuries are not life-threatening. The suspect was shot three times and taken for hospital treatment.
“The airport was closed for about 20 minutes. Flights have been delayed but are resuming.”
WWNO reports that the alleged assailant is unresponsive, but is alive and undergoing surgery.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the man allegedly began his attack when challenged by the TSA officer checking boarding passes.
“He ran past two other officers and pulled a large machete from his waistband, Normand said. A TSA agent blocked the weapon using a piece of luggage as the man ran through the magnetometer, he said.
“The sheriff said the man approached JPSO Lt. Heather Slyve, a deputy stationed at the checkpoint, swinging the machete. Slyve fired three rounds, striking the man in the left chest area, the left facial area and the left thigh, Normand said.”