LAS VEGAS – A man was shot Thursday morning on the tarmac at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas after reportedly attacking three officers, knocking one unconscious.
Capt. Nichole Splinter, with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, said the man was shot after he became “extremely irate” once officers found him in a restricted area of the airport, NBC News reported.
The intruder was hospitalized and underwent surgery, Splinter said at a news conference.
Officers were alerted around 3:30 a.m. to a door alarm at Terminal 3. However, responding officers did not immediately find anyone since the man went out onto the tarmac, the captain told reporters.
Nevertheless, the man was located a short time later at Terminal 1. As a result, officers attempted to escort him back to an area where the public is allowed, but things got violent.
Splinter said the man started attacking the officers and knocked one unconscious. A second officer attempted to use “less than lethal means to safely deescalate the situation” and was also attacked by the man, Splinter told reporters. The man also tried to attack a third officer, who eventually fired two rounds, striking him.
It’s unclear how or why the suspect accessed the tarmac. Police do not believe the incident is related to terrorism. His medical current condition is unknown.
The officer who was knocked unconscious was also treated at a hospital, status unknown.
Las Vegas police have not yet identified the suspect or the involved officers.
