TSA Hails Officer Who Removed Smoking Bag Amid Panic at Orlando Airport

The TSA has released footage of a November 10 incident showing the moment one of its officers at Orlando International Airport grabbed a bag he thought may have contained an improvised explosive and removed it from a busy checkpoint area.In the surveillance video, TSA officer Ricardo Perez, a US Army veteran, is seen taking a bag with smoke coming out of it and running away from the crowded area.The TSA said the smoke turned out to be from an exploded battery. But, it added, “that doesn’t make his act any less heroic. Kudos to this veteran.”According to a statement from the airport, there were scenes of panic during the incident. “Some witnesses panicked and self-evacuated the area dropping their carry-on luggage and knocking over the stanchions queueing the checkpoint,” the airport said. “Others hearing the luggage being dropped, stanchions falling, and rapid movement mistook the sounds as gunfire and within seconds a spontaneous evacuation of the main terminal occurred.” Credit: Transportation Security Administration via Storyful