That's from the New York Post, which reports a Transportation Security Administration screener was arrested at New York JFK for allegedly "hurling a cup of hot coffee at an American Airlines pilot who told her and some colleagues to tone down a profanity- laced conversation in a terminal … ."

The Post cited unnamed sources in reporting the incident, which is said to have occurred March 28. The newspaper apparently first learned of it this week.

The spat apparently began when 54-year-old American Airlines pilot Steven Trivett was leaving JFK's Terminal 8 and overheard the screeners' conversation.

The Post's sources say Trivett admonished the screeners, suggesting they behave more professionally while in uniform. Trivett also told the screeners he thought they should "not use profanity or the n-word" while on the job, one of the Post's sources said.

That's when things escalated, according to the Post. One screener allegedly cursed at the pilot and told him to "mind his own business." When the pilot tried to grab at the ID badge of 30-year-old TSA officer Lateisha El, she pushed him and threw a full cup of hot coffee on him, according to the Post's unnamed sources.

The pilot was not seriously injured. El now faces harassment and misdemeanor assault charges, the the Post says.

As for the TSA, it says it is investigating the incident. The agency 0ffers this explanation to the Gothamist.com:

TSA holds our employees to the highest professional standards and has a zero-tolerance policy for inappropriate behavior at airport checkpoints. TSA is looking into this incident and will take swift and appropriate action. The unacceptable behavior of a few individuals in no way reflects the dedication of our nearly 50,000 Transportation Security Officers who work tirelessly to keep our skies safe. As you are aware, a TSA officer at that very same airport this week detected an artfully concealed knife hidden inside a jar of mayonnaise that a passenger was trying to sneak on board an aircraft. That is much more reflective of the type of dedicated work our officers perform regularly.

"My thought, there is nothing more unprofessional than TSA field employees"

sailor