GRAPEVINE, Texas – A mother says she and her special needs son were “treated like dogs” after her request for alternate screening at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport led an officer to closely pat down the boy.
Jennifer Williamson videotaped Sunday’s search of her son, Aaron, who appears to co-operate. The Facebook video was viewed nearly 6 million times by Tuesday.
“We have been through hell this morning. They detained Aaron for well over an hour at DFW,” Williamson wrote on Facebook. “We were treated like dogs because I requested they attempt to screen him in other ways per TSA rules. He has SPD and I didn’t want my child given a pat down like this.”
Williamson, who didn’t give her son’s age or their destination, says he has sensory processing disorder. She says he didn’t set off any alarms through security.
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A Transportation Security Administration statement says approved procedures were followed to resolve an alarm on the passenger’s laptop.
Williamson says they were detained more than an hour.
TSA officials say Williamson and her son were at the checkpoint 45 minutes, including to discuss screening procedures with her.