Passenger's weapon accidentally discharged at the Atlanta airport, causing panic and halting flight [View all]

The accidental discharge of a passenger's weapon in a security area of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport caused widespread panic Saturday afternoon, prompting a brief halt of departing flights over the busy travel weekend.

The passenger was going through the screening process around 1:30 p.m. when "somebody recognized that there was a weapon in the bag," airport spokesperson Andrew Gobeil told CNN's Jim Acosta.

"When either the officer went in or when the passenger went in to get it, it accidentally discharged," Gobeil said, and the loud noise created a "sense of chaos."

According to Gobeil, after the gun went off, the passenger "took off and was able to make it outside of the airport."

At: https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/20/us/atlanta-airport-scare/index.html