A man has been arrested and accused of stabbing an airport security worker following a confrontation at Nashville International Airport. According to a report from FOX17, the incident occurred on the second floor near the Arrivals area on Tuesday. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Matthew Howell, reportedly had an altercation after requesting to use a phone and subsequently attacked the worker with a knife.
Police officers responded to the scene after employees alerted them to a man armed with a knife, and found the security worker bleeding profusely from his arm. Howell, who police said has "an extensive criminal history in multiple states," claimed the stabbing was in self-defense. However, authorities have determined otherwise, as WSMV reports indicated that surveillance footage showed Howell to be the primary aggressor in the incident.
The confrontation began when Howell was reportedly offered a phone charger in place of the security workers' phone, which seemed to agitate him. According to documented statements, Howell became confrontational and brandished a knife. Nashville International Airport released a statement commending their officers for a "swift response" to the violent incident, ensuring the situation was "handled effectively," WSMV disclosed.
Howell alleged that the initial conversation turned hostile after he asked to use the security guard's phone and anti-Semitic comments were made toward him, which prompted him to eventually, and purportedly defensively, stab the guard. These claims were contradicted by the victim and supported by surveillance video evidence, as WKRN reported. The video showed Howell "displayed aggressive and threatening behavior that did not reflect self-defense."
Following the incident, Howell has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and disorderly conduct. He is currently being held in Metro Jail with a bond set at $27,000, as per the arrest report available through WKRN. The condition of the stabbed security worker was not specified in the reports.
