Woman Strips Down To Bra, Panties At OKC Airport To Protest TSA Pat-Downs

A woman in a wheelchair at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport tried to go through security wearing only a bra and panties.

Wednesday, December 1st 2010, 12:27 pm

By: News 9


Jennifer Pierce, News 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- A woman in a wheelchair at Oklahoma City's Will Rogers World Airport tried to go through security wearing only a bra and panties.

John Maringouin was at the airport and posted a video on YouTube of the woman trying to get through security after she was pulled aside with her dog in her lap.

According to airport spokeswoman Karen Carney, 52-year-old Dr. Tammy Banovac arrived at the airport on Tuesday wearing a coat and was in a wheelchair. When she reached security, she took off the coat revealing her scantily clad figure.

Carney said Banovac wouldn't go through the metal detector, so she had to go through an advanced search that included a pat-down.

Banovac told airport screeners, she stripped down because of a bad screening experience, where she felt violated.

Maringouin, who shot the YouTube video at the airport, said Banovac seemed fed up.

"She thought it would be a great idea to bare all and go through like that," Maringouin said. "I felt like at the time I was the only one who noticed her. Everyone was trying to be polite and not be too lookey about it. Some people were gravitating away from her, noticeably, but I thought it was great. I thought it was the best thing I've seen at an airport. She's welcome to travel through any airport security with me anytime she wants."

When TSA agents searched Banovac, they found traces of nitrate residue on her. Carney said nitrate residue can be from medication or from hunting among other fairly common things, but agents said they had to take precautions.

"[Tuesday] they were unable to resolve why she had that so she was not allowed into the secure area," Carney said.

Banovac was headed for Phoenix Tuesday but missed her flight. Banovac returned to the airport Wednesday morning dressed again only in a bra and panties but put on a shirt  and pants after going through airport security. Banovac was then able to board her flight to Phoenix. 

"She went through without incident this morning and boarded the aircraft," Carney said.

Banovac lives in Phoenix but is originally from Oklahoma and owns a trucking company out of Hennessey. Employees at Banovac's office in Hennessey would not comment, but they did confirm it was their scantily clad boss who is now a YouTube hit.

Maringouin said he's a filmmaker in San Francisco and was in Oklahoma to interview a prison inmate for his new movie, but the incident was not a publicity stunt.

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