Lawmakers are calling for big changes after a false active-shooter scare shut down much of Honolulu’s airport operations yesterday.
The backlash is much like what followed the false nuclear ballistic missile alert scare last year -- with lawmakers calling for hearings, an overhaul of crisis response, and more speed and accountability when things go wrong.
Visitors and locals alike endured a marathon wait at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport on Tuesday. An overheating battery charger in a laptop bag led TSA to clear a mainland terminal checkpoint. The Department of Transportation says that’s when stanchions fell over creating a "pop, pop, pop" sound mistaken for gunshots.
“I don't know where it came from but yes there were multiple TSA agents yelling ‘active shooter, active shooter, run, run, run, run, take off,’” said Nathan Paulsberg, who was at the checkpoint with his family for their flight back to Chicago.