Shocking video shows woman armed with knife lashing out at police at Atlanta airport before stabbing three – including a 71-year-old retired officer who just returned to active duty
- Gunwoman was meters from passengers waiting in line after stabbing her first victim outside
- Frightened travelers gasped ‘she has a knife’ as police tried to calm the woman down
- Brave veteran police officer suffered a stroke after being stabbed in the thigh
Hundreds of passengers waiting in line were ordered to shelter at Atlanta Airport after a gunman stabbed three people during a rampage through the south terminal.
Video filmed by one passenger shows police and airport staff trying to reason with the woman as she frantically swings her knife just before 5pm on Wednesday.
She had already stabbed a man at the airport’s west crossing before moving to the security area where she was challenged by the police.
“During the encounter, the female suspect stabbed an adult woman and then an APD lieutenant when he attempted to arrest her,” Atlanta police said in a statement.
Some passengers watched in amazement from behind the relative safety of a glass barrier as the scene unfolded next to them.
But others waiting for security checks were ordered to the floor in case she had a gun or a bomb in her backpack.
The police and airport personnel approach the woman who has already stabbed one man outside
Passengers waiting in line for security are told to take cover in case the woman is more heavily armed
‘These are very dynamic people,’ an airport security officer warned them, ‘so we’re going to get you out of here as fast as we can.
“I do not believe you are in any imminent danger.”
Sarah Nagem, an editor at Border Belt Independent in North Carolina, was on the line and said staff described it to them as a ‘domestic incident’.
The police officer, said to be a 71-year-old retiree who had returned to active duty, suffered a punctured artery after being stabbed in the thigh.
A female ticket clerk was also stabbed before the woman was overpowered and arrested by a second police officer, leaving a trail of blood across the booking hall.
“When we did encounter her, there was already that stabbing that had taken place,” Atlanta Police Sergeant John Chafee said.
‘There is a little moment that happened there.
“There doesn’t seem to be a connection between her and them, but that’s something we’re going to look into.”
The kneeling passengers cheered when they were told she had been arrested and allowed to get back up from the floor.
Police said they did not know the motive for the attack, but expected to find out by the time they filed charges.
All three victims were taken to Grady Memorial Hospital last night where they were conscious and in comfortable condition.
The Atlanta airport placed a clearance about 40 minutes after the initial stabbing and no flights are thought to have been delayed.
“The areas where the crime scenes are cordoned off, but there are several different entrances that can be used at the airport,” Sgt Chafee said.
At one point, she appeared to threaten passengers watching just a few meters away behind a glass screen
Police eventually overpowered the woman after she stabbed three people, including an officer
Not all the passengers were so gifted.
“It’s not even safe at the airport in Atlanta,” former Bengals tight end Willie Anderson tweeted.
‘Keep your head on a swivel. Sad situation that happened earlier. I hope people are ok.
‘I was on the other side. My little boy was on the floor with everyone else. They need to do something about these lines.’