LOS ANGELES — A pair of private security officers arrested at Los Angeles International Airport while taking a handcuffed man to Hawai'i could face federal charges, the FBI said yesterday.

"The FBI is in consultation with the U.S. attorney's office and is seeking possible federal charges against the pair for attempting to board the plane with a weapon and represent themselves as legitimate law enforcement officers," said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

"The couple appear to be security personnel that work for a company which contracts with the Hawaiian government to transport their prisoners," Eimiller said. She declined to identify the company.

Gary D. Garratt, 53, and Rosemary Sanchez, 48, were arrested on Friday morning at LAX for investigation of impersonating peace officers, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

No state charges have been filed, and the investigation was continuing, Robison said.

At the time of the arrests, airport police said the pair claimed to be law enforcement officers. The woman said she was carrying a firearm, and both said they had written documents indicating they were authorized to carry firearms. Authorities ran a check and found that neither was a police officer, and the woman did not have a permit to carry a gun, airport police said.

The pair and the man they were holding were taken into custody. Garratt and Sanchez were each released on $35,000 bail. It was not immediately known whether they had obtained lawyers. Their prisoner's identity, his location and other details could not be immediately determined yesterday.

A call to airport police spokeswoman Belinda Nettles seeking additional information was not immediately returned yesterday.