TSA agent removed from handling duty after "aggressively" pulling bomb-sniffing dog in viral video

A Transportation Security Administration agent has been removed from his post as a K-9 handler at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after a phone camera caught him "aggressively pulling a dog" while on the job.

The brief phone video, which circulated widely online this week, shows an unidentified TSA officer yanking the K-9 by its leash as the animal tries to move about an airport terminal. The employee can be seen tugging abruptly on the leash multiple times, at one point causing the dog to skitter before changing course to follow the handler's lead.

TSA denounced the handler's conduct in a statement shared on Twitter. The agency also confirmed that the officer was removed from handling duties while an investigation into the incident is underway, and said the K-9 would "be taken immediately to a veterinarian."

"Video showing a TSA explosive detection canine handler aggressively pulling a dog working in a Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW) terminal was shared with local leadership this morning," TSA said.

"The behavior displayed by this handler is unacceptable and not within the high standard we hold our officers to," the statement continued. "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."

In:
• Detroit
• Transportation Security Administration