TSA Regrets 'Inaccurate Guidance' Given to Family of Wheelchair-Bound 3-Year-Old Threatened With Pat-Down

Image source: YouTube

The Transportation Security Administration has issued an apology to the Missouri family that said their 3-year-old, wheelchair-bound daughter was detained and threatened with a pat-down and that they were ordered not to record it.

A TSA spokesman told Fox News the Forck family was given "inaccurate guidance" during a trip through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on their way to Disney World earlier this month.

“TSA regrets inaccurate guidance was provided to this family during screening and offers its apology,” a TSA spokesman said.

It happened Feb. 9 when Lucy Forck, who has spina bifida and uses a wheelchair, was pulled aside for additional screening. TSA officers told parents Nathan and Annie that they would need to give Lucy a pat-down and swab her wheelchair. When Annie Forck began videotaping what was happening, she was told by an officer that recording was "illegal." Forck's footage, posted to YouTube, shows Lucy in tears after the TSA took away her stuffed animal.

“They specifically told me that they were singling her out for this special treatment because she’s in a wheelchair,” Nathan Forck told Fox. “They are specifically singling out disabled people for this special scrutiny. It’s rather offensive to me as a father of a disabled child.”

The agency told Fox that the St. Louis officers acted inappropriately and that passengers are permitted to film TSA procedures provided it doesn't interfere with the screening process.

Additionally, while Lucy was not ultimately patted down, the agency said the family should never have been told it was going to happen.

“We are committed to maintaining the security of the traveling public and strive to treat all passengers with dignity and respect,” the TSA told Fox. “While no pat-down was performed, we will address specific concerns with our workforce.”

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​Related:

• TSA Reportedly Detains Wheelchair-Bound 3-Year-Old Girl, Orders Parents Not to Videotape Pat-Down
• 'You’re Going to Do This to Her?’: Wheelchair-Bound Child Sobs as TSA Detains Her for Nearly 1 Hour — Then Released With No Explanation
• TSA Regrets ‘Accidental’ Breast Exposure of Congressman’s 17-Year-Old Niece During Pat-Down