Johnny Knoxville was detained at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday and for a good reason. Authorities found what appeared to be a hand grenade in his carry-on luggage.
In a time when you cannot even carry nail clippers on a flight, why would Knoxville have a grenade? Well, it was not a real grenade, but merely a prop. He got the gag hand grenade when filming a commercial for MTV’s “Nitro Circus.” Knoxville said “I took a bunch of silly props in my carry-on bag to the shoot.” He said the wardrobe girl packed his luggage (Hello Johnny – did they not ask you if anyone else packed your luggage at the airport?) and she was the one that put the fake grenade in there.
Knoxville didn’t notice the fake grenade in the front zipper of his bag, but when he passed through security, a Transportation Security Administration officer noticed and Knoxville was detained. The officer called Airport Police and the Los Angeles Police Department Bomb Squad. After examining the fake grenade, the bomb squad determined it had no explosives or firing pin.
Knoxville was released and allowed to board the American Airlines flight to Miami. However, he may be cited for a misdemeanor – allegedly possessing a prohibited item within the sterile area of an airport.
Despite the charge, Knoxville takes the blame for the entire incident, saying that “the cops did their job and verified that it wasn’t real. Also, they were cool as they could be to me, considering the situation, and it is no one’s fault but my own.”
I realize that some security restrictions on planes seem silly, but really, a fake grenade? Would you take a water pistol in your carryon luggage? I think his wardrobe girl, whoever she was, was dumb for packing it and Knoxville was dumb for not checking it before he boarded. If the security and police officers are distracted by senseless stunts like this, they might be distracted from a real airline threat.
What do you think?