A flight attendant allegedly left behind a few precious valuables after an unceremonious departure from Los Angeles International Airport last Friday night.
Airline crew members are not generally searched, but Transportation Security Administration officers pulled aside one flight attendant that evening for a random screening that ended in a great escape.
Authorities told the Associated Press and NBC Los Angeles on Monday that the flight attendant fled a secondary screening room without explanation.
The woman, who has not been identified, appeared nervous, officers told NBC. After being asked for work identification, she grabbed her bags and bolted.
The luggage was apparently weighing her down, however, as she quickly dropped it along with her Gucci heels and proceeded to run barefoot down an up escalator.
The root of her angst was revealed shortly afterwards, as police found 69 pounds of cocaine inside the abandoned bag.
According to NBC and CBS, she works for JetBlue Airways. The company has not commented on the incident.
“With her bringing this amount of narcotics in the airport, chances are this wasn’t her first time through,” Marshall McClain, head of the LAX police officers union, told the AP. “We’re hoping this is a wake-up call to airport management as well as federal legislators.”
The union further said in a statement that all passengers and airport employees should be screened to prevent “insider” and “lone wolf” terrorist attacks.
The woman faces felony drug charges, Special Agent Timothy Massino of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told the AP. On Monday, she remained at large.
(c) 2016, The Washington Post ยท Yanan Wang
