Glendale Woman Sentenced to Prison for Assaulting TSA Officer at Sky Harbor Airport

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Ma'Kiah Cherae Coleman, 20, of Glendale, was sentenced last week by United States District Judge Douglas L. Rayes to four months in prison, followed by 36 months of supervised release for assaulting a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer at the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Coleman pleaded guilty to assault on a Federal Officer inflicting bodily injury on April 23, 2024.

On April 25, 2023, Coleman assaulted a Transportation Security Officer at Sky Harbor Airport by grabbing the officer's hair, forcing the officer's head down against a baggage screening area table, and punching the officer in the head several times with a closed fist. Coleman had to be restrained by several other Transportation Security Officers.

In addition to being sentenced to prison, Coleman is banned from traveling by commercial aircraft during the three-year term of her court supervision.

Transportation Security Officers are federal employees who work for the Department of Homeland Security to protect the nation's transportation systems. Their primary role is to screen passengers, baggage, and cargo for terrorism threats. Coleman's actions resulted in the temporary closure of a Sky Harbor Airport security checkpoint while law enforcement responded.

The Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Phoenix Police Department conducted the investigation in this case. The United States Attorney's Office, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.

CASE NUMBER: CR-23-00780-PHX-DLR
RELEASE NUMBER: 2024-124_Coleman