Nineteen-year-old Hannah Cohen and her mother Shirley are suing the TSA after a Thursday incident in which agents at the Memphis International Airport beat and jailed the young woman during a security check.
WATCH:
The Cohens were traveling from Memphis to Chattanooga, a trip they have been making for 17 years so that Hannah can receive brain cancer treatment at St. Jude Hospital.
According to Shirley, Hannah — who is also partially deaf and blind in one eye — set off a metal detector while passing through security.
“They wanted to do further scanning, she was reluctant, she didn’t understand what they were about to do,” Shirley told WREG. “She’s trying to get away from them but in the next instant, one of them had her down on the ground and hit her head on the floor. There was blood everywhere.”
Hannah was arrested and sent to “Jail East,” though authorities eventually threw out the charges.
The TSA released a short statement on the incident, noting that “passengers can call ahead of time to learn more about the screening process for their particular needs or medical situation.”
The Cohens have filed a lawsuit against the Memphis Airport, Airport police and the TSA.