LAX vehicle search yields cache of guns, ammunition

The driver, Phillip Joseph Dominguez, 47, of Orange, was booked on suspicion of transportation of weapons and jailed on $50,000 bail, according to the LAPD. Authorities said there was no indication the man intended to cause harm at the terminal, but investigators said they were still trying to sort out exactly what he was doing there. The weapons cache included 10 handguns, five rifles, one antique black-powder musket and nearly 1,000 rounds of various ammunition. At least one handgun was loaded, as well as the musket, and one of the rifles was an assault rifle, said Sgt. Jim Holcomb of the Airport Police Station.

The firearms were found inside several boxes in the back of the man's gray Chevrolet Silverado truck, said Nancy Castles, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles World Airports.

"We frequently do discover guns and narcotics," Holcomb said. But "the number of weapons was unusual."

Initially, police estimated that the boxes contained 30 handguns. They discovered only 10, however, when they opened the boxes.

Authorities said the man was stopped shortly before 11 a.m. for a random vehicle inspection at the intersection of Century and Sepulveda boulevards, at the main entrance into the lower level of the airport, Castles said.

Typically, officers will ask drivers if they can search their vehicles and if they are carrying any weapons inside, Holcomb said.

The Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives assisted in the investigation.

"While much more must be learned, this incident demonstrates why security measures at LAX are so critical," said Rep. Jane Harman (D-Venice).

ruben.vives@latimes.com

Times staff writer Dan Weikel contributed to this report.