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Fired security guard says Atlanta councilwoman had no right to touch him
A former Atlanta security guard said he lost his job after an altercation at Oakland Cemetery involving Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari. He spoke to FOX 5 Atlanta exclusively about the incident and what he plans to do next.
ATLANTA - A former Atlanta security guard said he lost his job after an altercation at Oakland Cemetery involving Atlanta City Council member Liliana Bakhtiari. For the first time since the attack, that security guard spoke out.
Antony Montfort said he was following his supervisor's instructions when he confronted Council member Bakhtiari and her friends who were celebrating a surprise wedding engagement at the cemetery at around 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 4. Montfort told police the cemetery was closed, so he approached the group in the dark, yelling "Pack it up, pack it up! It's time to go."
The Oakland Cemetery website states that the grounds are "open from dawn to dusk year-round."
According to Montfort's narrative, that's when the council member became aggressive, and shoved him.
"She pushed me because I was like, 'Lady, get out my face.' She shoved me," Montfort claimed, also stating Bakhtiari knocked his hat off his head. "I don't care if I screamed at you in your face … You still had no right to put your hands on me."
In the exclusive interview with FOX 5 Atlanta, he maintained that he never touched her.
Another security guard who was questioned by police that night corroborated Montfort's story.
FOX 5 Atlanta reached out to Council member Bakhtiari to get her side over the weekend, but she could not be reached for comment.
Still, her reaction seen on police body camera footage suggested that she believed Montfort was the true aggressor.
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Oakland Cemetery scuffle
It began as an outing in Atlanta's oldest park. It ended with a heated argument between an Atlanta City Council member and a security guard.
Bakhtiari and her group said they were enjoying a picnic and taking photos of the sunset when they noticed a man with a lit cigarette approaching them aggressively. That man was later identified as Montfort.
In her statement to police, Bakhtiari said she was afraid of Montfort's aggressive behavior and couldn't tell if he was holding a weapon. She said he blocked her group's path as they tried to leave. She claimed that she pushed him in an attempt to protect her friends and said the second security officer later helped them get out of the cemetery.
In a statement later posted to Instagram, she said she regretted "how the situation unfolded. I take accountability for my actions and I hope that protocols prioritizing de-escalation are enacted."
Montfort said he was fired from the security company and has since been barred from working on all City of Atlanta properties.
"I'm out of a job. I'm out of a job," Montfort said. "Now, I have nothing."
He said he wanted to take legal action against the security company, the City and Bakhtiari.
"I want to see them pay," he said. "Yeah, I'm suing."