• Man armed with a knife was shot by a Miami-Dade police officer on Thursday
  • He was allegedly trying to climb onto the roof of Miami International Airport
  • The incident prompted the evacuation and closure of Terminal J
  • Witnesses said it appeared the man was drunk and acting erratically 
  • It took place as thousands of travelers were trying to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma 

By Emily Crane For Dailymail.com

Published: 04:30 BST, 8 September 2017 | Updated: 04:31 BST, 8 September 2017

An armed man has been shot by police at Miami International Airport as thousands rush to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma.

The confrontation between the man and the Miami-Dade officer unfolded on Thursday night and forced the evacuation of the airport’s Terminal J.

The man was allegedly armed with a knife and had been trying to get onto the roof of the terminal, ABC Miami reports.

The confrontation between the man and the Miami-Dade officer unfolded on Thursday night and forced the evacuation (above) of Miami airport's Terminal J

The confrontation between the man and the Miami-Dade officer unfolded on Thursday night and forced the evacuation (above) of Miami airport’s Terminal J

Witnesses said it appeared the man was drunk and acting erratically.

He was taken to the Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center. His condition is not yet known. 

The terminal was immediately evacuated and shut down. 

Miami-Dade Police tweeted: ‘We can confirm a police involved shooting as a result of a security incident at @iflymia. The scene is secure and our PIO is on scene.’

They followed up shortly after confirming the scene had been secured.

The man was allegedly armed with a knife and had been trying to get onto the roof of the terminal when an officer opened fire

The man was allegedly armed with a knife and had been trying to get onto the roof of the terminal when an officer opened fire

The man was allegedly armed with a knife and had been trying to get onto the roof of the terminal when an officer opened fire

‘Regarding the police involved shooting at @iflymia – there is no further threat or danger to the public at this time. FDLE will investigate.’ 

The shooting occurred as the airport was busy accommodating travelers trying to evacuate Florida before the powerful category 5 hurricane is expected to hit at the weekend.   

Airline seats out of Florida are in short supply given the mandatory evacuation orders.

American, United and Delta all said Thursday that they were adding extra flights in the next few days.

The shooting occurred as the airport was busy accommodating travelers trying to evacuate Florida before the powerful category 5 hurricane is expected to hit at the weekend

The shooting occurred as the airport was busy accommodating travelers trying to evacuate Florida before the powerful category 5 hurricane is expected to hit at the weekend

The shooting occurred as the airport was busy accommodating travelers trying to evacuate Florida before the powerful category 5 hurricane is expected to hit at the weekend

Airline seats out of Florida are in short supply given the mandatory evacuation orders but airlines said they would add extra flights in the next few days

Airline seats out of Florida are in short supply given the mandatory evacuation orders but airlines said they would add extra flights in the next few days

Airline seats out of Florida are in short supply given the mandatory evacuation orders but airlines said they would add extra flights in the next few days

  • The Duke of Cambridge has said Prince George enjoyed a happy first day at his £20,000-a-year school despite being forced to take him without his pregnant wife - but admitted other parents weren't so luckyHappy at home, anxious at school: How George went from…
  • View of wreckage in the vicinity of the Santurce neighborhood in the aftermath of the hurricane Irma, in San Juan, Puerto Rico on ThursdayStaring into oblivion: Bahamas and Turks and Caicos brace…
  • Coleen Rooney has been seen in public for the first time today since her husband's alleged 'kiss and cuddle' with another woman and subsequent drink-drive arrestColeen Rooney steps out for the first time since Wayne’s…
  • Desolation: One of the videos shows a blanket of debris on the island of TortolaShocking videos reveal the scale of destruction on…
  • A composite image shows how the Dolphin Discovery attraction on Tortola in the Virgin Islands was ravaged by Irma's forceStark before and after pictures show how luxury Caribbean…
  • Pictured: Eight-month-old Evie after she was bashed by her mother with a slotted spoon and her handEXCLUSIVE: ‘Where is Evie’s justice?’ Mother, 26, walks…
  • The explosion sent smoke billowing through the busy thoroughfare and people ran into shops as police cordoned off the areaPanic as rush hour ‘electrical explosion’ sends shoppers…
  • Eden Rock Hotel on St Barthelemy - a hotspot for celebrities including Tom Hanks, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez - was pictured today in ruins after it was struck by Hurricane IrmaExclusive Eden Rock hotel owned by Pippa Middleton’s…
  • The unnamed girl had been for a romantic Tinder date at a Nando's in Bristol with Liam Smyth, 24, before she got stuck in the student's bathroom window while trying to retrieve her own poo‘I am the shamed Tinder s*** slinger!’ Woman, 24, tries…
  • Jealous lover who ‘spotted his girlfriend romping with a…
  • 'Music is playing as we arrive at Auschwitz. It¿s a cold dawn in April 1944 and we¿ve just been decanted from a cattle car, in which several people have died along the way.' Pictured: The Elefant Family in Czechoslovakia in 1928 (left to right: Helen, Edie, Magda, Klara, Ludwig)‘I condemned my mother to the gas chamber with one wrong…
  • Croatian stylist Neven Ciganovic, 45, has been left with a condition called priapism, which causes a permanent erection, after an unfortunate reaction to anaestheticPlastic surgery addict develops a permanent erection as…
  • Delta flight 431 had a scheduled flight from New York to San Juan, which was scheduled to leave at 8.05am, and managed to leave just a few minutes late and land seven minutes earlyDelta Airlines plane flies INTO Hurricane Irma: Daring…
  • Sixteen-year-old surfer Zander Venezia was killed surfing in Barbados during Hurricane Irma on Tuesday (pictured above after winning a surf competition last month)Pro surfer, 16, dies catching a wave during Hurricane…
  • Brave: A 15-year-old Minnesota girl is pictured with her mother on Tuesday, shortly after she escaped from three men who had been keeping her captive for a month Brave girl, 15, who swam across a lake to freedom was…
  • Pink Floyd engineer ‘was embarrassed and guilty’ over his…
  • Dramatic aerial pictures show scenes of devastation on a Caribbean island after it was ravaged by the most powerful hurricane the Atlantic has ever seen. At a port area, shipping containers were strewn like children's building blocks (pictured)Hotels flattened, houses submerged and shipping…
  • Relaxing: Two hatches at the stern opens up into two decks for relaxations, one which boasts an outdoor gym areaThe VERY lavish fixtures and fittings on board Russian…

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk