Flight attendant flees LA airport, cocaine found in bags

LOS ANGELES, March 21 (Reuters) - A flight attendant fled when she was selected for a random screening at Los Angeles International Airport, prompting a search that turned up 66 pounds (30 kg) of cocaine in her carry-on bags, a Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman said on Monday.

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The woman, who had arrived at the terminal on Friday for a flight, abandoned her belongings before escaping on foot, Special Agent Timothy Massino said. The DEA declined further comment on the case while an investigation was under way.

A law enforcement source said that the flight attendant had been identified by investigators but not apprehended as of Monday evening.

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Authorities did not say which airline she worked for and there were conflicting media reports.

NBC News reported on its website that the woman ran from the terminal after making a nervous phone call in a language not recognized by officers and left behind a pair of designer shoes as she fled on an escalator.

Los Angeles Airport Police and the Transportation Safety Administration declined comment on Monday.