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Man Dressed As Zorro Detained Before Panic At Los Angeles Airport

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A false report of gunshots that sent panicked travelers fleeing came right after officers with guns drawn detained a man dressed in black and possibly carrying a sword, Los Angeles airport officials said.

The sword was plastic, but soon after, hundreds of passengers raced onto streets or the tarmac, causing major flight delays that the airport was still recovering from Monday morning.

Video shows at least six officers confronting the man, who is dressed as fictional crime fighter Zorro, outside Terminal 7 around 8:40 p.m. Sunday. The man was detained and then later released, CBS LA reported.

Airport police said false reports of an active shooter quickly spread, and passengers in five terminals evacuated or pushed through security checkpoints onto the airfield and into the Central Terminal Area roadways.

A 30-minute ground stop was ordered.

Airport spokeswoman Nancy Castles said Monday about 280 flights were delayed and at least 27 flights were diverted to other airports.

A similar incident happened at John F. Kennedy International Airport two weeks ago. False reports of shots fired spread panic in a terminal and led to a huge police response. The scare was triggered by a loud celebration by passengers watching the Olympics.

Sen. Charles Schumer has called on the Department of Homeland Security to investigate the incident.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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