Kwan Lawrence is seeking damages after an early-morning confrontation left him with permanent scarring and continuing medical problems.
ATLANTA — A shuttle manager who stepped between a female driver and a threatening passenger at Atlanta’s airport says the decision left him with lasting physical and psychological injuries that have reshaped his life.
Kwan Lawrence is now suing the city of Atlanta over the Sept. 11, 2024, attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. His complaint, filed July 10 in Fulton County Superior Court, alleges the city failed to provide a reasonably safe workplace and allowed a previously banned man to return to airport property.
Lawrence was in his second month working for Airport Shuttle Group when a driver radioed for help shortly before 4 a.m., according to the lawsuit. She reported that a passenger had remained on the shuttle through several loops, refused to leave and made sexual and threatening comments while behaving aggressively toward other passengers.
The driver returned to the main terminal, where Lawrence met the shuttle. The passenger stepped off but attempted to get back aboard, the complaint says. Lawrence placed himself between the driver and the man and told him he could not re-enter the vehicle.
The man allegedly responded with threats and attacked Lawrence with a knife before fleeing. The lawsuit says Lawrence suffered a wound near his eye, a deep facial cut and a fractured right wrist. He was taken to Grady Memorial Hospital.
Atlanta police identified the man as Jacarie Seymour. Officers said they found Seymour hiding in a garbage container near the airport shortly after the attack and recovered a knife nearby. He was arrested and faced charges that included aggravated assault and criminal trespass.
Seymour later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and related charges, according to court records cited by local news organizations. He was sentenced in June to five years in prison. His criminal case has ended, but Lawrence’s civil complaint has opened a separate legal dispute over whether the city bears responsibility for the conditions that preceded the attack.
The lawsuit says Lawrence has paid or incurred more than $80,000 in medical costs. It alleges that he has permanent scarring across his face and may need further medical care, including possible surgery.
Lawrence also reports migraines, anxiety, disrupted sleep and post-traumatic stress disorder. The complaint seeks compensation for his medical treatment, lost wages, pain and suffering and other past and future losses. It also requests a jury trial.
His claims place renewed attention on the risks faced by transportation workers who respond to disruptive passengers during overnight operations. Shuttle employees work in publicly accessible areas and may be the first people called when a driver or passenger reports threatening conduct.
The complaint argues that Lawrence faced a danger the city could have anticipated. It alleges Seymour had previously been banned from the airport and that officials knew about a wider history of assaults involving people who remained on airport property without a legitimate travel purpose.
Atlanta had expanded its terminal access restrictions in February 2024, limiting entry to ticketed passengers, employees and others conducting airport business. The city and airport have also taken steps over the years to address people using the terminal for shelter, while community groups and officials have debated how to balance security with services for people experiencing homelessness.
The lawsuit’s allegations are directed at the city’s handling of airport access and security, not at people experiencing homelessness as a group. The complaint must still establish that the city owed Lawrence a legal duty, breached that duty and caused or contributed to his losses.
The Atlanta City Council previously rejected an administrative claim submitted by Lawrence. A May 2025 letter attached to the complaint said the city could not accept responsibility after reviewing the matter with its Law Department.
The city declined to comment on the new lawsuit, citing the pending litigation. Lawrence also declined interview requests reported by local news organizations. No trial date or next court hearing had been publicly announced as of Saturday.
Author note: Last updated July 18, 2026.