UPDATE: Aldon Smith charged for false report of a bomb threat
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport Sunday after allegedly yelling "bomb" in the terminal, according to several reports.
LA Airport police detained 49ers LB Aldon Smith after he indicated he possessed a bomb, per public LA policeinformation officer Karla Ortiz.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 13, 2014
In a statement, the 49ers said, "We are disappointed to learn of the incident today involving Aldon Smith" but added that they would have "no further comment" because this is "a pending legal matter and we are still gathering the pertinent facts."
The incident reportedly unfolded as Smith was at the gate trying to board a flight when he got into an argument with an airport employee. TMZ has posted a video showing a man in handcuffs telling authorities that they will be "embarrassed." Seconds later, one of the officers asks the man to "step away," and the man responds, "I'm not in your space, sir," before two other officers lead him away in handcuffs.
LAX authorities told the Sacramento Bee that the man is currently being booked and his identity won't be released until the booking is complete.
The airport police released the following statement:
"At approximately 1400 hrs, a 25-year-old male resident of San Jose, California, was going through Terminal 1 screening and was randomly selected for a secondary screening. The suspect then became belligerent and uncooperative with the process and with the TSA agent, making a comment indicating that he was in possession of a bomb before proceeding towards the gate area. Los Angeles Airport Police made contact with him at the gate and he was positively identified as the person in question. Once again the male subject became uncooperative and he was detained and taken into custody by Airport Police and is currently being transported to LAPD for booking."
And an eyewitness account of what happened, via the Bee:
The incident began at the Southwest Airlines ticket counter at which point Smith was told he would not be allowed on the plane. After going through security, the witness said Smith was in line at McDonald's when he was approached by security personnel. He became belligerent, said something about a bomb and was taken into custody.
Witness John Egan told MercuryNew.com that, “I heard him say, ‘I did nothing wrong.' The whole thing ratcheted up from there. The cops were trying to calm him down. He wasn’t out of control; just agitated.”
Smith was arrested in Sept. 2013 on suspicion of DUI charges and several days later, he checked himself into rehabilitation facility.
At last month's NFL owners meetings, 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said of Smith's return to the lineup late last season after a stint in rehab: “I thought he did a good job in all those regards, as a player, as a teammate, decisions he was making."
And 49ers CEO Jed York said from the owners meetings that while the team had remained in contact with Smith, they had also given him room, as required by the collective bargaining agreement.
“A lot of people are working with him, but you don’t want to set up anything that’s uncomfortable and anything that’s beyond what the CBA rules are,” York said. “You can only do so much. Somebody has to work for himself if they’re going to get through these issues.”
