An Arizona woman has been sentenced to four months in prison for assaulting a TSA agent who confiscated her apple juice while going through security, authorities said.
Ma’Kiah Cherae Coleman, 20, was convicted earlier this year of assaulting and injuring a federal officer at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport on April 25, 2023.
The Glendale native snapped and punched the agent as they removed her juice at a security checkpoint just before 6 a.m., authorities said.
She then grabbed the agent’s hair, slammed their head against a baggage screening table and punched the victim in the head several times before being restrained by a swarm of other TSA agents.
Two agents was taken to hospital for treatment in the altercation and about 450 travelers were inconvenienced when officials shut down the checkpoint to deal with the unruly traveler, according to the TSA.
She was sentenced last week by U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes to four months behind bars plus 36 months of supervised release, officials said announced on Wednesday.
“Coleman is prohibited from traveling on commercial aircraft during the three-year period of her court supervision,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.