According to a press release by the Miami-Dade Police, they received a 911 call about a man “acting erratically” and carrying a knife at Miami-Dade International Airport. Calling it a “security incident,” the report said a white male ran through Concourse J into a restricted area of the airport and out on to the tarmac. The man then ran into a secure room where a confrontation occurred between an officer and the male suspect, leading to the officer opening fire and shooting the man. At least one gunshot was heard by witnesses close by.

Everything under control at Miami-Dade International Airport

People contacted Miami-Dade Police soon after the incident, which occurred between 8:30 PM and 9 PM on Thursday. Detective Alvaro Zabaleta told the news website that the matters were under control and there was no further danger to people and workers in the airport.

The Miami Herald reports that Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported the suspect to Jackson Ryder Trauma Center. Police director Juan Perez said the man is in a stable condition and the officer was not harmed in the incident.

Perez stated that the incident appeared to be isolated and they did not suspect any other individuals were present in the airport at that time. Only one flight was delayed by the incident, as at the time there was only one plane scheduled to depart. All other flights left on time.

Concourse J evacuated

While the incident was ongoing police evacuated Concourse J, leading many travelers to post videos and images on Twitter relating to the incident, including police cars out on the tarmac.

Other travelers had no idea the incident was happening.

One Twitter user, Shawn Woodford, addressed a tweet to the Miami Herald to say Concourse J was being evacuated and passengers were being moved to Concourse H. He took video of police and fire trucks surrounding a plane on the tarmac at Gate J7.

The security incident is now being investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) which handles police-involved shootings.

Evacuations ongoing ahead of Hurricane Irma

The security incident couldn’t have come at a worse time, as Florida anticipates the arrival of Hurricane Irma on Saturday. Many residents in the area are currently flocking to the airport to evacuate before the storm makes landfall. The Miami Herald reports that there is currently heavy traffic on roads in the area, leading to many evacuees opting to rather fly. However, by Friday afternoon almost 100 flights had been canceled out of the airport ahead of the hurricane.
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