A father spoke out after he claims his 10-year-old daughter was subjected to an "uncomfortable" screening at a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport security checkpoint in North Carolina.

Kevin Payne of San Diego said he watched in horror as his daughter, Vendela, was meticulously patted down by a TSA agent for almost two minutes, after it was discovered she had mistakenly left a Capri Sun drink in her bag at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, according to CNN. TSA rules prohibit passengers from bringing liquids over three ounces past security checkpoints.

Payne recorded the screening with his cell phone, which shows a female TSA officer patting down his daughter's arms, torso, legs and waist.

"I was HELPLESS while my 10 yr (sic) old daughter was ASSULTED (sic) infront (sic) of me," Payne wrote in the description of a video of the pat-down he posted on YouTube on Jan. 1. "Watching this heinous act makes me SICK to my stomach."

Payne also described the female TSA officer's actions as groping, while his daughter told NBC San Diego that she "felt like screaming the whole time."

"I know it's to keep everybody on the plane safe, but she kept patting me down," Vendela said. "It was like, over and over."

"She just had a completely blank stare on her face. I could tell it was very uncomfortable for her," the concerned father told NBC's "Today."

Although Payne said he and his daughter feel the pat-down was inappropriate, a TSA spokesperson dismissed accusations of improper conduct. According to the TSA, the officer's pat-down "followed approved procedures." TSA added the additional screening was prompted by a cell phone in the child's bag that set off an alarm along with the drink.

"TSA screening procedures allow for the pat-down of a child under certain circumstances. The process by which the child was patted down followed approved procedures," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Because of the pat-down and additional screenings, Payne said he and his daughter were forced to remain at the TSA security checkpoint for about an hour. Fortunately, they did not miss their flight because it was delayed.

The TSA, however, said the pat-down lasted about two minutes and that the rest of the time was spent "mitigating the concerns of the father and discussing screening procedures."

Later on, Payne posted a comment below the video conceding he might be "overreacting," but he added he still felt "strongly that this could have been handled in a better way while still insuring (sic) the safety of all passengers."

Watch video of the incident below.

Related