Atlanta airport contract employee injured by 'unsheltered' shuttle passenger, police say

ATLANTA - A contract employee at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was injured in a knife attack on Wednesday, following a confrontation with an unruly passenger.

Officers responded to the airport after reports of a dispute. Upon arrival, they found a man with lacerations on his face and hands. The victim, a shuttle manager for an airport vendor, was alert and conscious and was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital for treatment.

According to a preliminary investigation, the incident began when the victim received a call from one of his drivers, reporting that an "unsheltered passenger" on the shuttle was behaving erratically. The shuttle manager confronted the man and requested he leave the shuttle. At that point, the suspect pulled out a knife and assaulted the victim.

The suspect ran away from the scene but was later found hiding in a garbage can. Officers recovered the knife nearby and identified the suspect as Jacarie Seymour.

Earlier this year, the Atlanta City Council began moving forward with a comprehensive plan to aid the airport's unsheltered population. At one point, there were as many as 200 to 300 people without permanent homes staying at the airport during the overnight hours. 

Arrest charges are pending as the investigation continues.