Posted on: Friday, May 9, 2003

Man arrested after firing 2 shots in Lihu'e Airport

By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

A man fired two shots in the baggage claim area of Lihu'e Airport last night and made his way to a passenger gate before being apprehended.

The 24-year-old man was in police custody last night on Kaua'i and faces a charge of reckless endangerment. The incident did not appear to be an act of terrorism, officials said last night.

No one was injured, but the incident raised questions as to how a person with a loaded gun could get into a secured area of the airport.

About 200 passengers were evacuated from the airport, which was closed for about an hour, Department of Transportation spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.

Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Keoni Wagner said a Honolulu-bound flight was delayed for about 40 minutes, as well as a flight from Honolulu to Lihu'e.

Ishikawa said the incident began about 6 p.m. when the man "forced his way" into the Hawaiian Airlines baggage claim area. Ishikawa said the man said something to two unarmed federal Transportation Security Administration officers before firing his handgun.

One bullet struck the floor and the other hit the ceiling, Ishikawa said.

"He said something (to the security officers); it doesn't look like he was threatening anyone in particular," Ishikawa said.

After firing his gun, the man went to Gates 5 and 6 and ordered passengers to leave, said Kaua'i County spokeswoman Cyndi Ozaki. He then sat with the gun pointed to his head, until police convinced him to surrender, Ozaki said.

"I heard a pop and I thought it was a balloon," said Roger Lopez of Kaua'i, who was waiting for a flight to Honolulu when the incident occurred. Lopez was interviewed in Honolulu, where he arrived aboard a flight delayed by the gunman's actions.

Lopez said the man pointed the gun at several people as he made his way through to the gate area, causing waiting passengers to drop to the floor for safety.

"I need to talk to somebody," Lopez quoted the man as saying before he ordered about half of the people in the area to leave.

"I don't know what was his intention," Lopez said. "To me it seemed like he just wanted attention."

Lopez said the passengers were shaken and some were crying.

"I felt scared because I didn't know what he was going to do," Lopez said. "I felt like, 'Why this flight?' "

Ishikawa said an investigation has been launched to determine how security was breached.

Armed TSA officers are on guard at the check-in area of the airport but not in baggage claim, Ishikawa said. He said no shots were fired at the man.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.