Airport insecurity: Wheelchair girl detained by TSA agents
Security agents claim 12-year-old tested positive for bomb residue at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport
A 12-year-old girl who uses a wheelchair was detained for nearly an hour at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport by Transportation Security Administration agents who said they detected traces of bomb residue on her hands, according to her mother.
MyFoxDFW.com reports that Shelbi Walser, who suffers from a genetic bone disorder, was traveling with her mother from Texas to Florida for medical treatment Dec. 8 when she was prevented from proceeding through a security checkpoint.
When a screener swabbed Shelbi's hands and fingers, she tested positive for explosives, her mother, Tammy Daniels tells KHOU.com. The wheelchair, she said, was never tested.
Daniels said a bomb specialist showed up and TSA agents prevented her from getting close to her crying daughter, according to MyFoxDFW.com.
Other passengers reportedly spoke out in support of Shelbi, according to Daniels, who used her cell phone to record a video of the incident.
After nearly an hour, Daniels said agents suddenly told them they were free to leave, offering no explanation for the detention.
TSA responded in a statement to MyFoxDFW.com that reads in part, "TSA's mission is to safely, efficiently and respectfully screen nearly two million passengers each day at airports nationwide. We are sensitive to the concerns of passengers who were not satisfied with their screening experience and we invite those individuals to provide feedback to TSA through a variety of channels."
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