A St. Jude patient and her mother are suing TSA, the Memphis Shelby County Airport Authority and its police department after a security screening got physical.
In a surveillance video, Hannah Cohen, and her mother, Shirley Cohen, can be seen talking with security personnel after the teenager set off a metal detector.
Hannah Cohen, 19, then got combative with an airport police officer, who tackled her to the ground and handcuffed her. She was then sent to jail.
The incident happened when Hannah Cohen was heading home to Chattanooga, Tennessee, on June 30, 2015, after receiving treatment for a brain tumor at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Hannah Cohen was later released from jail and charges were thrown out, but the Cohen family is seeking $100,000 in physical and emotional damages.
The lawsuit claims Hannah Cohen has an obvious physical and mental impairment and that TSA and airport police should have recognized her condition. The suit also claims that the airport is at fault for failing to properly manage its personnel.
TSA declined to comment because the lawsuit is still pending. The Memphis Airport Police Department has filed a motion to dismiss the suit against them for a multitude of reasons, mostly that they fall under the airport authority.
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