CRIME
Woman Charged In Atlanta Airport Knife Attack That Hospitalized 3 People, Including Police Officer
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A woman armed with a knife stabbed three people, including a police officer, at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Wednesday afternoon, police said.
According to a statement from the Atlanta Police Department, officers at the airport first encountered the armed woman, identified as 44-year-old Damaris Milton, outside a security checkpoint and walking toward the south terminal at around 4:45 p.m.
Officers at that time did not yet know she had already stabbed a male taxi driver on her way into the airport, the police department said.
During the encounter, officers attempted to talk Milton into dropping the knife and worked to restrict her movement and move travelers from the area. A security line was temporarily delayed, according to posts on social media, but the security checkpoint was not shut down, police said.
As officers engaged Milton, she slashed a woman later identified as an airport ticket clerk. A police lieutenant attempted to take Milton into custody, and was stabbed in the leg, striking an artery.
Another officer was then able to tackle and disarm the female and take her into custody, police said.
All three victims were alert, conscious and breathing when they were transported to the hospital for treatment, police said.
Impacts to operations are minimal, the airport posted on X, formerly Twitter. There is no threat to the public.
Investigators did not reveal a possible motive for the knife attack. Milton was charged with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and transported to the Clayton County Jail.
TMX contributed to this article.
