A United Airlines employee has been accused of verbally abusing a customer and charged with disorderly conduct.

The charge stems from an incident in Houston during which a woman, who has been cited as Carmella Davano, allegedly called Cacilie Hughes, a Black woman and actress, “a shining monkey.”

Hughes says her encounter with Devano occurred at the United terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport. “I walked up to the woman, Carmella, and said, ‘Hi, do you have a refund code available?’ and she started yelling at me, calling me a monkey,” Hughes told The New York Times. “I was humiliated, I was crying and I was the only Black woman in the area.”

She then said she tried to get another employee to call police but they refused so Hughes contacted law enforcement. Upon arrival police said two other witnesses backed up the woman’s story.

United has since released a statement, reading, “At United, we proudly hold ourselves to the highest standards of professionalism and have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind. We have withheld the employee from service since the night of the incident pending an internal investigation. Upon conclusion of the investigation, we will take any and all appropriate corrective action up to and including termination.”

The charge against Davano was filed in the Municipal Court in Houston. She was given a citation for using abusive language in a public place.