Atlanta airport shuttle manager suing city over 2024 stabbing by homeless man
A shuttle manager at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is suing the city of Atlanta after he was attacked while trying to help a driver in 2024.
Kwan Lawrence, a manager at Airport Shuttle Group, claims that he was left with a scar and has had to spend tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses because of the assault.
According to the lawsuit, the incident started on Sept. 11, 2024, when he received a message from a female driver that there was a hostile individual on her shuttle who had been "directing lewd, sexually threatening comments towards her."
When the driver returned to the airport's main terminal, Lawrence says the man got off the shuttle but continued to make threatening comments towards the driver. When Lawrence stopped the man from getting back on and told him to leave, he says the man started threatening to kill him. This escalated when the man pulled out a knife and slashed Lawrence's face and hands.
A report from the Atlanta Police Department at the time shows that officers found the man, identified as Jacarie Seymour, hiding in a garbage can nearby and took him into custody. Officers note that they found the knife nearby.
As a result of the attack, Lawrence says he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, migraines, anxiety, and sleep disorders. He also says he has incurred over $80,000 in medical expenses.
Lawrence's lawsuit claims that the city knew about Lawrence and had banned him from the Atlanta airport, but still allowed him and other unhoused individuals to get back on the property.
"Defendant knew or should have known that a significant number of violent crimes had been committed on the Airport premises related to the problem of homeless persons loitering on the Airport premises and engaging in criminal activity but negligently failed to protect invitees like Plaintiff from the risks of violent crime," the lawsuit reads.
He is asking for a jury trial, payments for his treatments, and other damages.
CBS News Atlanta reached out to the City of Atlanta for comment on the lawsuit. A spokesperson for the city declined to comment, citing the pending litigation.
