Five TSA agents hurt as man tries to rush Phoenix airport checkpoint

(Reuters) - Five U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers were hurt on Tuesday when a man attacked them as he tried to rush a checkpoint at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in Arizona, a TSA spokeswoman said.

Four of the officers were treated for their injuries at urgent care clinics in the Phoenix area and the fifth was taken to a local hospital, TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers said.

The suspect, later identified by Phoenix police officials as Tyrese Garner, 19, was subdued by TSA agents and Phoenix police officers, the TSA said in a written statement.

Garner was booked on suspicion of criminal trespassing, resisting arrest and five counts of assault, Phoenix police said in a written statement.

It was not immediately clear if he had retained an attorney.

"This unprovoked and brazen physical attack against our TSOs (transportation security officers) is unacceptable. We are grateful for our committed workforce and for the role they play in protecting the traveling public every day," the agency said.

"We continue to monitor the safety and health of the TSOs involved in this incident and will cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation."

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb, editing by G Crosse and Cynthia Osterman)