Suspect Claims LAX Dry Ice Bombs Were Planted As A Prank

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles police Wednesday said that a 28-year-old suspect planted dry ice bombs around LAX as a prank.

Dicarlo Bennett, a Servisair worker from Paramount, was arrested at his home Tuesday evening and booked on charges of felony possession and explosion of a destructive device near an aircraft, the Los Angeles Police Department said.

He is accused of planting four dry ice bombs around Los Angeles International Airport.

Servisair released the following statement Wednesday:

"We are aware of the arrest of Dicarlo Bennett as a suspect in the recent incidents at LAX. All we can confirm at this point is that he was an employee of Servisair at the time of incident. We're cooperating with authorities and will continue to monitor the situation closely. It is important at this early stage to allow law enforcement to continue their investigation and we have no further comment at this time."

Deputy Chief Michael Downing, who heads the LAPD's counter-terrorism bureau, said Bennett's motive was a joke and that he was not a disgruntled employee.

LAPD Lt. John Karle echoed his statements during a news conference Wednesday afternoon, saying the incident had nothing to do with a terror attack.

"Prank. Curiousity. A person familiar with the device wanted to experience constructing it and detonating it," Karle said. "He was very cooperative.  He obviously knew the wrongfulness of his actions."

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. Gus Villanueva said.

On Sunday, another dry ice device exploded inside an employee bathroom at LAX's Terminal 2. No one was injured in either incident.

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

"He's not that type of guy. Like, you see him around here and he just minds his own business," neighbor Gererdo Casarez said.

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