A Sun Valley, California, man pleaded guilty today to
charges related to a 2013 shooting at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
in which he murdered a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer.
Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Secretary Jeh Johnson of
the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the
Central District of California and Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike of
the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
Paul Anthony Ciancia, 26, pleaded guilty to one count of
murder of a federal officer; two counts of attempted murder of a federal
officer; four counts of violence at an international airport; one count of
discharging of a firearm during a crime of violence causing death; and three
counts of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, before U.S.
District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the Central District of California.
“The 2013 murder of TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez was a
tragic and reprehensible act of violence,” said Attorney General Lynch. “With this guilty plea, the Department of
Justice is making clear that wrongdoers who target our nation's brave law
enforcement officers will be held accountable for their crimes. I want to thank the many federal, state, and
local law enforcement officers who contributed to this critical investigation -
including my colleagues in the ATF and the U.S. Marshals Service - and I want
to once again express the Justice Department's unwavering support for the brave
men and women who wear the badge.”
“Our Transportation Security Officers put their lives on the
line each and every day to keep the flying public safe,” said Secretary
Johnson. “We still remember the awful
day that Officer Gerardo Hernandez became known as the first slain-on-duty
officer. Today's threat environment
demands that we all remain vigilant, and this guilty plea should remind
everyone that if you harm one of our officers, you will be brought to justice.”
“The guilty pleas entered in court today will hopefully
bring some justice to the victims of this horrific attack that senselessly
ended the life of a federal officer and injured several others,” said U.S.
Attorney Decker. “Mr. Ciancia now faces
a life-without-parole sentence in federal prison, ensuring he will be punished
for his crimes and never again have the ability to harm other innocent
people. Today’s guilty plea is also a
reminder of the tremendous acts of bravery and heroism demonstrated by law
enforcement at LAX on the day of the shooting.
I commend the hundreds of law enforcement personnel from the Los Angeles
Airport Police, the Los Angeles Police Department, the TSA, the FBI and many
other agencies who responded to this incident, conducted a thorough and
professional investigation and played a key role in reaching today’s
resolution.”
“Mr. Ciancia’s guilty plea is a welcome development toward
reaching justice for the victims of this violent attack, one of whom was
murdered as he carried out his duties as a TSA officer, and several others who
were wounded when Mr. Ciancia brutally targeted them with his weapon,” said
Assistant Director in Charge Fike. “I’m
proud of the JTTF members and prosecutors for their diligence over the past few
years in getting to this point.”
According to the plea agreement, in early 2013, Ciancia
purchased a semiautomatic rifle, 500 rounds of ammunition and 10 magazines for
the rifle. On the morning of Nov. 1,
2013, Ciancia modified two pieces of luggage and zip-tied them together to
conceal his loaded rifle inside.
Ciancia admitted that later that morning, he entered LAX
Terminal Three, removed the loaded rifle from his modified luggage and fired at
and killed TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez while he was checking passengers’
travel documents. Ciancia admitted that
he then went upstairs to a TSA checkpoint, by which time many TSA officers and
passengers had fled the airport. He
fired his weapon at TSA Officers Tony Leroy Grigsby and James Maurice Speer as
well as a civilian, Brian Ludmer, he admitted, all of whom sustained serious
injuries and required surgery but survived the attack. According to the plea agreement, as Ciancia
passed passengers hiding in or fleeing the terminal during the attack, he asked
if they were TSA and when they said no, he passed without shooting at them.
The Los Angeles Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF)
investigated the case. The JTTF is led
by the FBI and includes agents and officers from 45 other local, state and
federal agencies.
The Los Angeles Airport Police; the Los Angeles Police
Department; the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department; TSA; the Federal Air
Marshal Service; the Los Angeles Port Police; the Long Beach, California,
Police Department; the Air Force Office of Special Investigations; the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Customs and Border
Protection; the U.S. Secret Service; the Los Angeles Fire Department; Los
Angeles International Airport Operations; the U.S. Marshals Service; the U.S.
Postal Inspection Service; and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s
Homeland Security Investigations provided substantial assistance in the
investigation.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick R. Fitzgerald of the
Central District of California, Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Mills of the
Central District of California’s Terrorism and Export Crimes Section, Assistant
U.S. Attorney Joanna M. Curtis of the Central District of California’s Violent
and Organized Crime Section and Trial Attorney Michael S. Warbel of the
Criminal Division’s Capital Crimes Section prosecuted the case.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment