Police: Aldon Smith was drinking before airport arrest

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith appeared to be have been drinking alcohol earlier Sunday but it was not the reason for his arrest, Los Angeles International Airport Police said.

Smith was booked into Los Angeles jail for “false report of a bomb threat,” according to LAX Police.

“He was not what we considered to be intoxicated,” LAX Police Sgt. Karla Ortiz told CSNBayArea.com, “but he appeared as if he had been drinking earlier in the day.”

Sgt. Ortiz said Smith would not be administered a blood-alcohol test because, she said, “Whether he was drunk or not was not the reason for his detention, arrest or booking.”

Smith took a voluntary leave of absence from the 49ers last season to enter into treatment for substance abuse following his DUI arrest on Sept. 22 in San Jose. He missed five games before returning to the 49ers and finishing the season without incident.

According to the the statement from LAX Police:

[RELATED: Aldon Smith detained by police at LAX, taken into custody]

“At approximately 1400 hrs, a 24 year-old Aldon Jacarus Ramon Smith, a resident of San Jose, California, was going through Terminal 1 screening where he made a comment indicating that he was in possession of a bomb. Los Angeles Airport Police made contact with him in the gate area where he became uncooperative. After conducting their investigation, LA Airport Police took suspect into custody and transported him to LAPD-Pacific division where he was booked for California Penal Code 148.1(a) - False report of a bomb threat. “

According to Sgt. Ortiz, Smith was going through screening when he asked the TSA agent, “Are you going to search me further?”

Smith was told, “That’s not necessary,” according to Sgt. Ortiz.

Then, Smith responded, according to Sgt. Ortiz, “Why not? I have a bomb.”

After news of Smith's arrest on Sunday, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke released the following statement: "We are disappointed to learn of the incident today involving Aldon Smith. As this is a pending legal matter and we are still gathering the pertinent facts, we will have no further comment."

Smith, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 draft, recorded 42 sacks in his first 43 NFL regular-season games. Smith received support from the organization and his teammates as he entered into a treatment program and returned to the team in November.

When asked about Smith's progress at the NFL owners meetings last month, 49ers CEO Jed York said, "A lot of people are working with him, but you don’t want to set up anything that’s uncomfortable and anything that’s beyond what the CBA rules are. You can only do so much. Somebody has to work for himself if they’re going to get through these issues.

“We’re going to be very supportive of Aldon and know if he needs anything, we’re here for him. We want to make sure he continues to work through this. But I think it’s literally one day at a time and we’re there for him. But we also don’t want to be too in his face and make it more stick than carrot.”