Boat gets stuck in Sepulveda Tunnel near LAX
Photo courtesy Los Angeles Airport Police
LOS ANGELES - Mayday! Talk about a shipwreck in an unlikely place.
Traffic got a little more out-of-hand than usual at Los Angeles International Airport Friday when a large boat got stuck inside the Sepulveda Tunnel.
According to Los Angeles Airport Police, the boat became wedged inside the tunnel after the driver underestimated the clearance space.
SUGGESTED: Fight between 2 men at LAX ends with elderly woman knocked to ground, 1 arrested
"The vessel's sheer size proved too much for the tunnel's clearance, causing a traffic standstill," the LAXPD shared on Facebook.
All affected lanes were shut down temporarily as officers maneuvered the boat in reverse and guided it back onto Imperial Highway.
"The spectacle left commuters both bewildered and amused, as they watched this nautical mishap unfold in an unexpected urban setting," officials said.
The incident happened during the busy Fourth of July holiday weekend. AAA forecasted that 70.9 million people would travel at least 50 miles from home over a nine-day stretch that began June 27, a 5% increase over the comparable period around the Fourth of July last year.
SUGGESTED: LAX-bound Delta flight makes emergency landing after exit slide issues on Boeing aircraft
While official numbers have not yet been released, the Transportation Security Administration said it expected to screen over 32 million individuals in airports from the holiday through July 8, up 5.4% from last year’s numbers.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.