On Wednesday, a person tossed water on a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent and ran unchecked by officials past the security checkpoint at Pittsburgh International Airport. Subsequently, Allegheny County Police detained the woman.

TSA Pittsburgh
The surprising incident happened at Pittsburgh International Airport in the early evening on August 19th. Photo: Pittsburgh International Airport

Making a run for it

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review online publication, TribLive.com, the person involved during this incident is Brandi L. Bailey. At approximately 17:30 on the day, the 32-year old threw water on a TSA agent after the worker asked her to present a ticket and her identification at the checkpoint.

Subsequently, a police officer caught up with the Penn Hills resident and sat her on a bench nearby. However, Bailey allegedly soon began fighting with the police and even tried to make a getaway by running for the airport train. Nonetheless, her efforts went in vain as the police once again quickly quashed the situation.

TSA coronavirus covid
Passengers can face punishment from the TSA for not wearing a face mask. Photo: Getty Images

Danger avoided

Inspector Kenneth Ruckel, the police division commander at the airport, shared that there were injuries to the officers. Nonetheless, he said that it is unknown what the person's intentions were, and police believe that she did not have a ticket.

CBS Pittsburgh reports that Bailey was transported to Allegheny County Jail to await arraignment. Altogether, she faces charges of disorderly conduct, resisting arrest, and criminal trespassing.

Security airport staff
Finding guns is not uncommon in US airports. Photo: Getty Images

Always on the ball

Officials at Pittsburgh are no strangers to dealing with unexpected incidents at security checkpoints this year. In May, another Penn Hills woman was in trouble after a TSA officer saw that she was traveling with a handgun.

The worker noticed an unloaded .22 revolver in the carry-on bag of a passenger named Kierra Allen. County police then charged her with carrying a firearm without a license. According to TSA, this was the seventh time that they saw a traveler with a gun at the airport between the beginning of 2020 and the middle of May. Moreover, in July, across the United States, TSA found 15.3 guns for every one million passengers

Pittsburgh International Airport
Approximately 4.6 million passengers board at Pittsburgh International Airport each year. Photo: Pittsburgh International Airport

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Altogether, these incidents are reminders of the sensitive nature of the jobs that TSA agents and airport security take on. Officials and local police always need to be on their guard when on duty at hubs across the globe. Thankfully, there were no further escalations during this week's incident.

Simple Flying reached out to Pittsburgh International Airport for comment on this week's incident. However, the request was deferred to the Allegheny County Police. We will update the article with any further announcements.

What are your thoughts about what happened at the airport? How do you feel about the way the incident was dealt with? Let us know what you think about the situation in the comment section.