Airport Worker Among Employees Attacked on Job

Safety at Work

Queens, NY (WorkersCompensation.com) – A man has been charged with attempted murder after attacking an airport worker at the Howard Beach-JFK Subway station, officials said.

Courtney Jacobs, 38, of Liberty Avenue, was indicted last week by a Queens grand jury for attempted murder in the second degree and other related crimes in the incident.

According to the indictment and investigation, on May 26, the victim, a 50-year-old man, was standing on the westbound platform of the subway station speaking on the phone when Jacobs approached him. The two got into a verbal dispute, and then Jacobs hit him multiple times with a cane. Jacobs then allegedly punched the victim in the head causing him to fall.

After the victim returned to his feet, Jacobs allegedly pulled out a knife and cut the victim across his chest. Police said Jacobs fled the platform after the attack and made his escape through the parking lot on the side of the station. The victim was able to go to the Transit police post and tell the officers about the attack. Officers saw Jacobs walking in a nearby parking lot and apprehended him.

The victim was transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where he was treated for his injuries, including a five-inch-long slash across his chest.

“As alleged, an airport worker was attempting to get home on the subway when he was targeted in an unprovoked attack by this defendant,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “The victim was allegedly slashed across the chest with a knife, beaten with a cane, and punched by Courtney Jacobs. Despite his extensive injuries, the victim was able to alert nearby police officers, who quickly apprehended the defendant.”

Jacobs was also charged with assault in the first and second degree, two counts of robbery in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon. Jacobs was remanded into custody without parole. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison.

In Nashville, a convicted sex offender was accused of attacking a fast-food worker.

Police said a man attacked the manager of a fast-food restaurant after the man tried to pay for his meal with money from the tip jar.

The incident occurred on June 14, police said.

“The cashier who is taking his order has a little tip jar out in front. So, the guy looks down and literally takes the money out of the tip jar and tries to pay for it and my cashier goes, ‘Hey, you are stealing my money,'” the manager said.

Police identified the suspect as 33-year-old Adrian Sharkey from Mississippi, where he was convicted of statutory rape in Sept. 2021 and placed on the Mississippi Sex Offender Registry.

After he was confronted by employees, Sharkey became combative, reports said.

“There was a family in the lobby with five kids, young kids, and he’s cussing so we are trying to get him out of the lobby and he’s threatening me saying, ‘let’s fight, let’s fight,'” the manager said.

According to reports, Sharkey was able to get his hands on the manager’s neck.

“He is trying to swing on me and I’m ducking,” the victim told officials. “There was one point where I did turn my back and he did get me, but I got out of it in a few seconds. He ended up scratching my face, no biggie.”

Two employees intervened and asked Sharkey to leave, eventually leading him out of the building and into the parking lot.

“He was doped up, swinging and yelling at everybody, tackling everybody, charging everybody and always trying to hit somebody,” the manager said. “He was banging on the doors, the glass, it was crazy.”

Sharkey also threatened to return to the restaurant and “shoot the place up.” When employees called the police, he left the premises. However, the manager said, it took the police some 20 minutes to respond to the call. While police were there, Sharkey returned to the restaurant.

“The lady (police officer) goes, ‘What does he look like?’ I turned around, and the guy is literally walking back to us. That’s when she called for backup and that was that,” the manager said.

Sharkey was booked into Metro Jail and charged with felony aggravated assault by strangulation, trespass and misdemeanor theft of less than $1,000.

In Brook Park, Ohio, an unidentified woman attacked a Holiday Inn Express employee over breakfast.

Officials said the woman, and a second woman, walked into the lobby of the hotel and headed toward the continental breakfast area. When the front-desk clerk asked for their room number, they began to argue with her.

The clerk told the women to leave because they were not hotel guests, which caused the first woman to become argumentative. A second hotel worker tried to de-escalate the situation, but the women continued arguing. When a third hotel worker asked the women to leave, one of the women pushed the third worker to the floor, and then both of the women stormed out of the hotel.

The pushed employee was treated at the scene for facial injuries and was later taken to a hospital where she was treated for a concussion.

Police were not able to identify the women, but the hotel worker said she did want to press charges if they were apprehended.

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