TSA Defends Pat-Down of 4 Year Old

A 4-year-old girl who had to undergo a pat-down at a Kansas airport last week became hysterical after agents yelled at her and called her an uncooperative suspect, the girl’s grandmother said Wednesday. The Transportation Security Administration defended its actions as the incident has garnered media attention, saying that it had explained to the family why the additional security measures were needed and that the agents did not believe or suggest that the child was carrying a firearm. Prior to the incident, new procedures were put in place to reduce pat-downs of children. “They yelled, ‘We are going to shut down the airport if you don’t grab her,’” the girl’s grandmother said of the agents when the child tried to run from them.