‘Item’ causes part of Terminal 4 to close at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport
Jul 7, 2017, 4:56 PM | Updated: 8:56 pm
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
PHOENIX — The east end of levels 1-3 of Terminal 4 at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix were closed for part of Friday as police “checked out” an item as a precaution.
The situation was resolved later Friday evening.
Terminal 4 Update: Police are checking out an item as a precaution. The East End of Levels 1-3 are currently closed.
— PHX Sky Harbor (@PHXSkyHarbor) July 7, 2017
“A gentleman approached a ticketing agent and made a comment to her that she felt was a threat to the public safety,” Phoenix Police sergeant Alan Pfohl said. “He then put his suitcase down and walked away from it.”
The man was described as being in his 60’s and is from California. His suitcase contained nothing suspicious and the man was booked on a felony hoax charge.
Level one in Terminal 4 is where baggage claim is located. Level two houses ticketing and check-ins, and level three is where gates and security checkpoints are located.
According to a map on the airport’s website, the east end of Terminal 4 may include gates for airlines like American, Southwest, Air Canada, British Airways and more.
Sections of the busy terminal were closed for more than an hour Friday evening as police checked out a suspicious item, reportedly near the baggage area.
Airport spokeswoman Heather Lissner said there could be minor flight delays Friday night and they were encouraging travelers to check their flight status with the airline.
The incident wasn’t the first closure in recent history at Sky Harbor due to a security concern. In early June, security checkpoints shut down in Terminal 4 because of an “unusual” item.
The Associated Press and Tom Perumean contributed to this report.
