A woman was filmed running on the tarmac at the Los Angeles International Airport trying to flag down a plane in a bizarre incident on Monday, November 29. The woman, whose identity is not known at the moment, was detained by the police. According to airport officials, the woman, who had a plane ticket, walked through the door to a gate and descended the steps onto the tarmac at Terminal 1 at around 6:30 PM, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.
The video of the woman was recorded by a passenger waiting at the Southwest Airlines terminal at LAX. The woman was reportedly treated for a minor injury and even underwent a mental health evaluation. It is not clear at the moment what motivated her to get involved in the peculiar incident.
LAX police Lt Karla Rodriguez told City News Service that the woman was trying to flag down the aircraft, which was 'still parked in the gate area.' Rodriguez further noted that airline employees who witnessed the incident followed security protocols and maintained visual contact until the airport police arrived and detained the woman. Tezlyn Figaro, the woman who posted the video noted that it took the police forever to reach the scene and that the woman would have been shot with no questions asked if she was black.
'White girls can run on the tarmac...'
Figaro noted that the woman rushed by her out the exit door, down the stairs, and onto the tarmac with intent to stop a jet. A Southwest employee raced down the stairwell to stop her, and when the cops arrived, they 'handled her with care.' "I took notes since I rarely see Black people handled in this manner," Figaro, who is black, noted. "So white girls can run on the tarmac and be able to stand up while they gently search her bags. This is wild!" Figaro exclaimed.
Charges not clear
The woman, as she ran across the tarmac, appeared to be in pain, while trying to get away from a man clad in black. At one point, the woman got too close to the waiting plane but the man grabbed her and pushed her back. Airport staff, on learning about the woman, rushed to the location but held back as the woman tried to approach the Boeing 737 Southwest plane multiple times. After a while, police arrived, detained her, and searched the woman's bag as her hands were tied behind her back. No struggle of any kind erupted between the woman and the arresting officers. It is not clear if the woman is facing any charges yet.
