The parents of Lucy Forck, who has Spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, were furious after TSA agents stopped them on their way to Disney World on February 9.
When Annie Forck began recording the encounter, she was told doing so is illegal.
Nathan Forck rightly argued it is legal, and Annie continued recording. In the video, posted to YouTube, Lucy is crying because TSA agents took her stuffed animal away, to be screened.
Ultimately, Lucy was not subjected to a pat-down, and the TSA apologized for the incident.
In a post on its blog Thursday, the TSA offered a few explanations:
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Our officer did initially mention a pat-down. We admit this was confusing, and contributed to a stressful situation. Very quickly, a manager was able to step in and give guidance.
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Also, our officer told the passenger that it was illegal to film at the checkpoint. This is not the case, and you can take a look at our filming policy here.
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The child did not receive a pat-down. You can read our new procedures for children 12 and under here.
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Neither the child nor the parent was detained. TSA does not have the authority to detain passengers. Only Law Enforcement Officers can detain passengers.
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The child's stuffed animal was not confiscated. It was screened and handed back to the child after being screened.All accessible property is screened prior to traveling to you departure gate. You may remember this stuffed animal from last year.
"This stuffed animal" refers to a case from May 11, 2012, when a disassembled gun and ammo were found in three stuffed animals at Providence TF Green Airport.
Here's the video of the incident: