Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari and a security guard were recently involved in a scuffle at Oakland Cemetery. The security guard lost his job and is now threatening legal action, according to media reports.

The incident occurred Oct. 4 at about 8:30 p.m. Atlanta Police were called to the cemetery and were told Bakhtiari and friends were at the cemetery to celebrate a wedding proposal. While packing their belongings up in the dark, the group was approached by former security guard, Antony Montfort.

Bakhtiari told police Montfort was yelling at them to “get the f*** out of the park.” She also said because it was dark, she couldn’t tell if he was carrying a gun or a bat and described the situation as “very scary,” according to the police report.

“She stated that she immediately thought she was in danger and wanted to protect her friends so she stood out in front of them. Mr. Montfort then came really close to her face yelling. So they then began yelling at each other,” the report said.

Bakhtiari said Montfort kept coming closer to her, so she pushed him away.

Montfort’s story of what happened differs. He told police his director, Samuel Reed, a sexton at the cemetery, told him the he heard voices in the cemetery after it was closed. The cemetery, a city-owned park operated by the Historic Oakland Foundation, is open from dawn to dusk.

Montfort told police he went to investigate where the voices were coming from. He said he didn’t have a flashlight, and couldn’t see faces because it was dark. but saw lights. He yelled, “Pack it up, pack it up! It’s time to go!” according to the police report.

“He stated that he then saw several females stand up, and one walked up to him and put her hand in his face. He stated that he told her to back up, and she then pushed him down,” the police report says.

Montfort told police he stayed down and called Reed, but Bakhtiari continued coming towards him, knocked his hat off, and hit him across his forehead. He denied medical attention and also said he did not want to press charges.

Another security guard, Ronald Hall, backed up Montfort’s story of him shouting at the group to “pack it up,” according to the police report. Hall said Bakhtiari stood up and tried to explain why they were there, but Montfort said he didn’t care why they were there and repeated for them to “pack it up.”

Montfort and Bakhtiari began “exchanging words, going back and forth,” Hall told police. Bakhtiari pushed Montfort and her friends held her back, Hall said. Hall also said she knocked Montfort’s hat off.

Reed told police he wasn’t on the scene when the incident occurred, but he was on the phone. He said he heard women screaming they had permission to be in the cemetery after hours.

Reed also told police he heard Montfort screaming and said “that he wouldn’t calm down.” Reed told police he called the executive director of the Historic Oakland Foundation who said he had permitted Bakhtiari to be there for the engagement celebration after the cemetery’s closing.

In a statement, the Historic Oakland Foundation acknowledged the Oct. 4 incident occurred between Bakhtiari and the city of Atlanta’s security sub-contractor. The foundation declined to comment on whether Bakhtiari had permission to be in the cemetery after hours or about Montfort losing his job.

“On Friday, October 4, an incident occurred involving Councilmember Bakhtiari and the city of Atlanta’s security sub-contractor as the cemetery was closing for the day. As a city of Atlanta park, Oakland Cemetery is managed by the Department of Parks & Recreation, and all security is contracted by the city of Atlanta,” the foundation said.

Montfort has accused Bakhtiari of having him fired from his job with Dynamic Security after the altercation, according to Atlanta News First. A spokesperson for Bakhtiari denied she had any role in his firing.

Rough Draft called Dynamic Security and asked about Montfort. The woman who answered the phone said, “No comment.”

Montfort told Fox 5 he was planning legal action against the security company, the city and Bakhtiari.

“I want to see them pay,” he said. “Yeah, I’m suing.”

Bakhtiari posted about the incident to social media to defend her actions. She also said she was sorry Montfort lost his job.

In a written statement to Rough Draft, Bakhtiari said it was upsetting that security guards at Oakland Cemetery were not notified she and her friends had permission to be there after dusk.

“Everyone involved could have responded with better communication. This wedding proposal was arranged well in advance, and it’s truly disappointing that security was not properly notified,” Bakhtiari said.

“When my friends and I were approached by an aggressive and unidentified man in the dark, I became scared and felt in danger,” she said.

“I regret how the situation unfolded – it shouldn’t have happened – but I take accountability for my actions, and I hope that protocols prioritizing de-escalation are enacted.”