Arrested Near LAX or in Inglewood? What to Expect at the Airport Courthouse

Q: I live out of state and was arrested at LAX. What happens if I just leave?

Leaving is fine, but missing the court date is not. You are free to go home after you are released, and your lawyer can appear for you on most misdemeanors under section 977. If you skip the court date, the judge will issue a bench warrant under Penal Code section 978.5 and you can be arrested in your home state or at a future airport screening, and California can suspend your driving privilege through its agreement with your home state. Hire a California lawyer before you leave and the case can usually be handled without you.

Q: Can I get the arrest off my record if the case is rejected or dismissed?

Yes. If no charges are filed or the case is dismissed, Penal Code section 851.91 allows you to petition to seal the arrest record, and a successful diversion also leads to dismissal. If you were convicted and complete probation, Penal Code section 1203.4 allows a petition for dismissal on form CR-180. Read our guides on sealing an arrest record and expungement.

Q: Do I need a lawyer for a misdemeanor at the Airport Courthouse?

Yes, and the earlier the better. Even a misdemeanor conviction can affect employment, professional licensing, immigration status, firearm rights, and travel, and the diversion and dismissal options that avoid a conviction usually depend on work done before the first court date. Read do I need a lawyer for a misdemeanor and what prosecutors look at before filing for what a lawyer can do in that window.

Daniel Gramling, Esq.

10 minutes ago

13 min read

The short answer: if you were arrested near Los Angeles International Airport, in Inglewood, Hawthorne, Westchester, Playa del Rey, El Segundo, or Culver City, your criminal case will most likely be heard at the Airport Courthouse, the Los Angeles County criminal courthouse that sits just east of LAX. Most misdemeanor arrests in this area end with a citation or a release from the station with a court date several weeks out, while felony arrests usually mean a booking, a bail or release decision, and an arraignment within about two court days. The most important things you can do right now are to stop talking to the police, write down your court date, and get a criminal defense lawyer involved before the arraignment, because the first appearance is where release conditions, protective orders, and the tone of the case get set.

Who this guide is for. This article is written for people arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department, Los Angeles Airport Police, Inglewood Police, Hawthorne Police, Culver City Police, El Segundo Police, or the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in the communities around the airport. It also applies to travelers who were passing through LAX from the Inland Empire, Riverside, Victorville, Orange County, or out of state and were cited or arrested at the terminals, on Century Boulevard, or on the 405 or the 105. The procedure described here is general, so confirm your own courthouse and date on the citation or release paperwork and on the Los Angeles Superior Court's current website before you rely on it.

Which Courthouse Handles an Arrest Near LAX, Inglewood, or Hawthorne?

The Airport Courthouse is the usual answer. The Airport Courthouse is a criminal courthouse in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, near the airport, and it handles misdemeanor and felony cases arising from the surrounding west side and near South Bay communities. Arrests in Westchester, Playa del Rey, Playa Vista, and the airport itself are usually filed there, and cases from Inglewood, Hawthorne, Culver City, El Segundo, and Lennox are commonly assigned there as well. The Los Angeles Superior Court reassigns calendars from time to time, so some matters from these cities may be set at the Inglewood Courthouse or another nearby courthouse, and the only reliable source is the court date and location printed on your citation or release form.

Nearby courthouses you may hear about. Felony cases that start at the Airport Courthouse sometimes move after the preliminary hearing, and serious cases from anywhere in the county can be filed at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles. South Bay arrests in Torrance, Redondo Beach, Gardena, and Manhattan Beach usually go to the Torrance courthouse, and Long Beach cases go to the Long Beach courthouse. If you are unsure where to appear, call the court clerk or have your lawyer check the court's case lookup before the date, because showing up at the wrong courthouse does not excuse a missed appearance.

Who prosecutes the case. Inside the City of Los Angeles, which includes Westchester, Playa del Rey, and the airport, misdemeanors are generally filed by the Los Angeles City Attorney and felonies by the Los Angeles County District Attorney. In Inglewood, Hawthorne, Culver City, and El Segundo, the District Attorney generally files both misdemeanors and felonies, although some cities use their own prosecutors for certain municipal code and misdemeanor matters. The identity of the prosecuting office matters because the City Attorney runs an office hearing program for some minor first offenses and the District Attorney has its own diversion and charging policies, and your lawyer will want to know which office is reviewing the police report.

What Happens in the First 48 Hours After an Arrest Near LAX

Citation and release for most misdemeanors. Under Penal Code section 853.6, a person arrested for a misdemeanor is generally released on a written promise to appear unless an exception applies, such as intoxication, no identification, a continuing offense, or a risk to safety. The citation is your court date, and signing it is not an admission of guilt. Many airport and Inglewood misdemeanor cases, from public intoxication at a terminal bar to a shoplifting stop at a duty-free shop, start this way.

Booking, bail, and release for everything else. If you were booked, the station or jail sets release under the county bail schedule authorized by Penal Code section 1269b, and Los Angeles County has for several years used pre-arraignment release protocols that release most people arrested for misdemeanors and many lower level felonies on their own recognizance or with conditions rather than cash bail, with a magistrate review for some categories. Under Penal Code section 825, a person held in custody must be brought before a judge within 48 hours of arrest, excluding Sundays and holidays. At that first appearance the judge applies Penal Code section 1270 and the California Supreme Court's decision in In re Humphrey (2021) 11 Cal.5th 135, which requires the court to consider the person's ability to pay and less restrictive alternatives before setting money bail. Read our guide to how bail works for the mechanics, which are the same statewide.

Out-of-town travelers and the pressure to plead. People arrested at LAX while connecting through Los Angeles often live in another county, another state, or another country, and they feel enormous pressure to resolve the case before they leave. Resist the urge to plead at the first appearance just to get home. For most misdemeanors, Penal Code section 977 allows your attorney to appear for you without your presence, and a lawyer at the Airport Courthouse can usually handle a misdemeanor case from Riverside, Victorville, Phoenix, or Dallas without you flying back. Felony cases require your personal appearance at key stages, but even then a lawyer can often coordinate dates so that the trips are kept to a minimum.

Common Charges Filed at the Airport Courthouse

Weapons found by TSA screening. The most distinctive Airport Courthouse case is the firearm, knife, or other weapon discovered in a carry-on bag at a TSA checkpoint. TSA officers do not make arrests, but they call Los Angeles Airport Police, who do. California charges in these cases commonly include Penal Code section 171.5, which makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly possess a firearm or certain other weapons in the sterile area of an airport, along with Penal Code section 25400 for a concealed firearm and Penal Code section 25850 for a loaded firearm in a public place. Travelers from states with permissive carry laws are frequently stunned to learn that their home-state permit means nothing in California, and that a forgotten pistol in a backpack can produce a criminal case plus a separate federal civil penalty from the TSA. Knowledge is the heart of these cases, and a credible, documented explanation of how the weapon ended up in the bag can be the difference between a filing and a rejection.

DUI on Century Boulevard, the 405, and the 105. Rental car and ride-share drivers, people leaving the airport hotels, and drivers heading home from a red-eye all produce DUI arrests under Vehicle Code section 23152, subdivisions (a) and (b). The criminal case goes to the Airport Courthouse, but the license consequence runs on a separate track, and you have only ten days from the arrest to request a DMV hearing under Vehicle Code section 13353.2. Out-of-state drivers still need to request that hearing, because California reports the suspension to their home state. Our guides on what happens after a DUI arrest and how to beat a DUI walk through the defenses.

Drug cases at the terminals and on the roads. Possession of a controlled substance found in luggage is usually charged as a misdemeanor under Health and Safety Code section 11350 or Health and Safety Code section 11377, and most of those cases are eligible for PC 1000 drug diversion. Larger quantities, packaging, and travel patterns lead to possession for sale charges under Health and Safety Code section 11351 or Health and Safety Code section 11378, and airport cases sometimes involve federal agents, so a lawyer should find out early which agency is holding the evidence. Marijuana remains a frequent airport issue because it is legal to possess small amounts in California but illegal to transport across state lines, and airport police practice on cannabis has changed over the years, so get current advice rather than assuming.

Domestic violence, assault, and theft. Inglewood, Hawthorne, and Lennox generate a steady volume of domestic battery cases under Penal Code section 243, subdivision (e)(1), and corporal injury cases under Penal Code section 273.5, and the Airport Courthouse issues criminal protective orders on form CR-160 under Penal Code section 136.2 at the first appearance in nearly every one of them. Fights at airport bars and hotel lobbies produce assault and battery filings, and retail theft at the Westfield Culver City mall or the airport shops is charged under Penal Code section 459.5 or Penal Code section 484. Each of these has its own defenses, but all of them share one rule: do not contact the alleged victim once a protective order is in place, because a violation under Penal Code section 273.6 is a new crime that is far easier to prove than the original charge.

What Happens at Arraignment at the Airport Courthouse

The arraignment itself. Arraignment under Penal Code section 988 is where you are told the charges, enter a plea, and have release conditions set. The complaint, not the arrest report, controls what you are actually facing, and it is common for the charges on the complaint to differ from what the officer wrote on the citation, in either direction. Nearly every defense lawyer enters a not guilty plea at arraignment, because a not guilty plea preserves every option while the discovery under Penal Code section 1054.1, including body camera footage, airport surveillance video, and lab results, is gathered. Our guide on what happens after you are charged covers the full sequence.

Release conditions and protective orders. Expect the judge to address release even if you were already cited out, and expect conditions in DUI cases such as no driving without a valid license and no alcohol while driving, and in domestic violence cases a protective order that may bar you from your own home. If you were held on bail, the arraignment is the first chance to argue for a reduction or own recognizance release under section 1270 and Humphrey, and a lawyer who has prepared a release plan with employment verification, a local address, and family support has a far better chance than someone arguing from the lockup.

Timing after arraignment. A misdemeanor defendant in custody is entitled to trial within 30 days of arraignment and an out-of-custody defendant within 45 days under Penal Code section 1382, although most people waive time so the defense can investigate. A felony defendant is entitled to a preliminary hearing within ten court days under Penal Code section 859b, and read our guide on what actually happens at a preliminary hearing before you decide whether to waive it. Between arraignment and trial there will be one or more pretrial conferences where offers are exchanged, and most cases resolve there.

How Cases Get Resolved at the Airport Courthouse

Diversion for many first offenses. Los Angeles County judges have broad authority to grant misdemeanor diversion under Penal Code section 1001.95, which allows a judge to divert most misdemeanors over the prosecutor's objection for up to 24 months, with the exceptions written into the statute for certain domestic violence, stalking, sex offender registration, and DUI charges. Read our misdemeanor diversion guide for the details. Mental health diversion under Penal Code section 1001.36 and military diversion under Penal Code section 1001.80 are also regularly granted, and a well-documented diversion motion is often the best outcome available for a weapon-in-luggage or first-time theft case.

Suppression and dismissal motions. Airport cases are search-heavy, and the line between an administrative screening search and a criminal investigation matters. A motion to suppress under Penal Code section 1538.5 can challenge a vehicle search on Century Boulevard, a phone search without a warrant, or a prolonged detention at a terminal. Read what a 1538.5 motion is and how to get charges dismissed for the tools that apply, and remember that what makes a case weak is usually a gap in the evidence that only surfaces once a lawyer reads the full discovery.

Plea negotiations. Offers at the Airport Courthouse follow the same arc as elsewhere in Los Angeles County: the first offer at arraignment is rarely the best one, offers improve as the prosecutor sees the weaknesses in the case, and offers often get worse after a preliminary hearing or on the eve of trial. Before accepting anything, read our guide on whether to take a plea deal, and if you are not a citizen, insist that your lawyer give the immigration advice required by Penal Code section 1016.3 before you plead to anything, because airport cases involve an unusual number of visa holders and permanent residents.

Mistakes That Hurt People Arrested Near LAX

Talking to the police or the airport police. Airport police and LAPD officers are trained to get a statement before you have a lawyer, and statements like "I forgot it was in my bag" or "I only had two drinks" become the prosecution's best evidence. You have the right to remain silent and to ask for a lawyer, and our guides on what not to say to police and whether you can talk your way out of charges explain why silence is almost always the right call. If a detective calls after you get home, read our guide on what to do when a detective calls before you call back.

Missing the court date because you live somewhere else. A missed appearance leads to a bench warrant, and for a traveler that can mean an arrest at the next airport screening or traffic stop, plus a new charge under Penal Code section 1320 or Penal Code section 1320.5. Read what happens if you miss court, and if you already missed it, a lawyer can usually get the warrant recalled by appearing for you on a misdemeanor.

Ignoring the DMV deadline and the text messages. DUI defendants lose their license by default because they wait for the court date and never request the DMV hearing. Domestic violence defendants lose their cases by texting or calling the protected person. Everyone loses evidence by deleting it, since the prosecution can recover text messages and the deletion itself looks like consciousness of guilt.

Hiring a lawyer late. Charging decisions in Los Angeles County can take weeks, and that window is when a lawyer can present evidence to the filing prosecutor, request an office hearing from the City Attorney, or line up a diversion plan. A lawyer hired the week of arraignment cannot do any of that. If cost is the concern, read about public defenders versus private attorneys and ask about flat-fee and limited-scope options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Airport Courthouse and do I have to go in person?

It is near LAX in the Westchester area of Los Angeles, and for most misdemeanors your lawyer can appear for you. Penal Code section 977 allows an attorney to appear on a misdemeanor without the defendant present, with exceptions for certain domestic violence and DUI stages where the judge may require your presence. Felony defendants must personally attend arraignment, the preliminary hearing, and other key hearings. Confirm the courthouse address, parking, and current calendar on the Los Angeles Superior Court's website before you travel.

I live out of state and was arrested at LAX. What happens if I just leave?

Leaving is fine, but missing the court date is not. You are free to go home after you are released, and your lawyer can appear for you on most misdemeanors under section 977. If you skip the court date, the judge will issue a bench warrant under Penal Code section 978.5 and you can be arrested in your home state or at a future airport screening, and California can suspend your driving privilege through its agreement with your home state. Hire a California lawyer before you leave and the case can usually be handled without you.

Will a TSA firearm find at LAX result in criminal charges?

Often yes, but many of these cases are reduced, diverted, or rejected. Airport police typically arrest or cite for Penal Code section 171.5 and may add Penal Code section 25400 or Penal Code section 25850 depending on whether the gun was concealed and loaded. The prosecutor then decides whether to file, and a lawyer who documents a clean record, a valid home-state permit, and an innocent explanation for the bag can often obtain a rejection, a reduction, or diversion under Penal Code section 1001.95. The TSA civil penalty is a separate federal process.

How long will my Airport Courthouse case take?

Most misdemeanors resolve in two to six months, and felonies take longer. The first arraignment is usually set several weeks after a citation, and the case then moves through one or more pretrial conferences. Felony cases add a preliminary hearing and a second arraignment, and complex cases with lab evidence or multiple agencies can take a year or more. Read our guide on how long a criminal case takes for the typical timeline.

Can I get the arrest off my record if the case is rejected or dismissed?

Yes. If no charges are filed or the case is dismissed, Penal Code section 851.91 allows you to petition to seal the arrest record, and a successful diversion also leads to dismissal. If you were convicted and complete probation, Penal Code section 1203.4 allows a petition for dismissal on form CR-180. Read our guides on sealing an arrest record and expungement.

Do I need a lawyer for a misdemeanor at the Airport Courthouse?

Yes, and the earlier the better. Even a misdemeanor conviction can affect employment, professional licensing, immigration status, firearm rights, and travel, and the diversion and dismissal options that avoid a conviction usually depend on work done before the first court date. Read do I need a lawyer for a misdemeanor and what prosecutors look at before filing for what a lawyer can do in that window.

Arrested Near LAX? Talk to a Criminal Defense Lawyer Today

Gramling Law Group defends clients at the Airport Courthouse, the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center, Torrance, Long Beach, Van Nuys, and the other Los Angeles County criminal courthouses, as well as the Riverside Hall of Justice, the San Bernardino Justice Center, the Victorville courthouse, and the Orange County justice centers, serving the Inland Empire, Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Southern California. Daniel Gramling, Esq. offers flat-fee criminal defense and limited-scope options so that an out-of-town traveler or a working family in Inglewood or Hawthorne knows the cost up front. Call (909) 654-4575 or contact us through this website for a consultation.

This article is educational and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. It addresses California law only.