GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — An employee with the Transportation Security Administration at Detroit Metropolitan Airport has been suspended after a video went viral, showing him aggressively pull a K-9 officer’s leash through a terminal.
The video was first posted to Reddit and went viral over the weekend. The original video has since been taken down; however, other posts are still up on other Reddit threads. The comments from the original poster — “ProfessionalEye3568” — remain.
“I was shocked at how this airport handler is dragging this poor pup around. There’s no reason anyone should be flipping a working dog around by it’s harness like this,” the poster said. “I have a high-energy dog, so at first I assumed it was a mistake or that the puppy was a bit over-energetic but (it) looks like the handler is just being unnecessarily rough with it.”
The TSA issued a statement Monday morning, saying the handler has been suspended while the agency does a full investigation.
“Video showing a TSA explosive detection canine handler aggressively pulling a dog working in a Detroit Metropolitan Airport terminal was shared with local leadership this morning. The behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standards we hold our officers to,” the statement read. “TSA officials at DTW have removed the employee from handling duties pending completion of an investigation and directed that the canine be taken immediately to a veterinarian for a wellness exam.”
The Detroit Free Press reported that the dog did not suffer any injuries. The TSA did not provide a time frame for its investigation.
