Jefferson Parish Sheriff Newell Normand told reporters that the man, who he identified as Richard White, approached the first agent at a boarding pass screening area of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport and sprayed the officer in the face with wasp repellent.
White then pulled out the machete, which was tucked in his pants, and started swinging it. He moved past the counter and approached two more agents, spraying one in the face, Normand said.
A police officer manning the exit responded to the melee and fired several shots as White chased the second agent he had sprayed. The shots struck White in the chest, face and thigh, grazed a bystander's arm, and hit the third TSA agent in the arm, Normand said.
White was taken to a hospital and was undergoing surgery, Normand said. Other travelers attempting to flee the chaos suffered scrapes and other minor injuries, he said.