Airport Employee Arrested In Connection With LAX Dry Ice Explosions

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — An airport employee was arrested Tuesday in connection with dry ice explosions at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), authorities said.

Los Angeles Police Department Det. Gus Villanueva confirmed the arrest of Dicarlo Bennett, a 28-year-old Servisair employee from Paramount.

"That's really scary when one of the workers is actually doing this," traveler Norman Tayag said.

Bennett reportedly told his family he did not know why he was in custody and that he was scared, adding that authorities confiscated his cell phone and computer, according to a family member who spoke with CBS2.

It was unclear what led police to Bennett, but an anonymous law enforcement official briefed on the investigation told the Associated Press that Bennett took the dry ice from a plane.

On Monday, one dry ice bomb exploded and two soda bottles containing the dangerous material were found around 8:30 p.m. at the Tom Bradley International Terminal in a restricted area, Det. Villanueva said.

Airport police and a bomb squad cleared the items around 9:45 p.m.

On Sunday, another dry ice device exploded inside an employee bathroom at LAX's Terminal 2.

In both instances, the bombs were left in an area of the airport that requires special clearance for access.

No injuries were reported in either incident.

Authorities said there was no indication that Bennett was tied to a terrorist organization.

He was booked on charges of felony possession and explosion of a destructive device near an aircraft.

A mug shot for Bennett, who is being held on $1 million bail, was not released.