Atlanta airport checkpoint chaos: Man grabs gun, it goes off

By BILL CORMIER
Associated Press

ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities say a passenger awaiting a bag search at the Atlanta airport’s main security checkpoint reached in the bag and grabbed a firearm, and it went off, causing chaos among travelers. The Transportation Security Administration said the firearm discharged Saturday afternoon at Hartsfield-Jackson airport but it was not an active shooter incident. Officials say the passenger fled out an airport exit and they were seeking his arrest. They identified him as a 42-year-old convicted felon. The FAA ordered a temporary ground stop on flights before normal operations resumed less than two hours later. The incident caused alarm among travelers at one of the nation’s busiest airports days ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday travel season.