Airport police arrest baggage bandit during massive airline relocation at LAX

LOS ANGELES , CA (FOX 11) - Technology meets tenacity as airport police officers capture a baggage bandit at Los Angeles International Airport.

Airport police responded to a report of two unattended bags in a restroom in Terminal 2. When officers arrived it was clear that the bags were connected to a baggage belt theft and that the suspect had fled the area. As officers were returning to the station to catalog the items, Airport Police Officer Aston Chan and his partner Officer Eric Brown observed a subject walking along the arrivals area that they recognized as a person of interest from a recent Airport Police "BOLO" bulletin.

The officers stopped to question the subject who was in possession of two additional bags. After professing ownership of the bags, which contained women's garments and knowing his "plan was foiled", the suspect fled on foot scaling fences, with Officers is close pursuit. The suspects' short lived dash for freedom ended as officers caught the suspect identified as Okello Wheeler of Baton Rouge, La. and arrested him for commercial burglary.

Subsequent to Wheeler's arrest, Airport Police Crime Task Force detectives Vincent Roddy and Ben Spolarich scoured through hours of camera footage. The detective's isolated footage that linked Wheeler to the initial radio call that Officer Chan responded to and additional charges were filed against Wheeler.

"The use of technology is a great supplement to our mission but there is no better means of policing our airports than having boots on the ground with vigilant and intuitive patrol officers wearing them," said Chief of Airport Police David Maggard.

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