Lashawna Threatt, a mother and well-known model, and her friend, dancer Ciara Williams, met an unexpected fate early Saturday morning after celebrating Threatt’s 30th birthday. While the two young women were “play wrestling” on the 10th floor of the W Hotel in Midtown Atlanta, a window they made contact with shattered and they both fell through. Threatt fell to her death, and Williams is hospitalized in critical condition.
Ajc.com reports that when the hotel window shattered at approximately 3:15 a.m., both women fell onto a glass sunroof on another level, and Threatt remained there, while Williams rolled off and fell an additional 20 feet.
“It appears that there was no malicious act, no foul play. They were just wrestling with each other and hit the window. The window broke, and they fell out,” Atlanta Police Lt. Paul Guerrucci told the AJC.
Hotel manager Michael O’Donohue issued the following statement:
“The incident at the W Atlanta early Saturday is very tragic, and our thoughts and prayers are with the woman who was injured and the family and friends of the woman who died in the fall,” O’Donohue said. “There is a police investigation under way, and all information must come from the authorities.”
The two women had returned earlier from celebrating Lashawna Threatt’s birthday at a restaurant in the city’s Atlantic Station and had attended a white [clothing] party at the hotel.
The boyfriend of LaShawna Threatt said he grabbed on to the back of her hair as she was falling out of the W Atlanta-Midtown hotel.
“Thank God it wasn’t daytime; I would have jumped out, no question,” Ray Hamilton told the AJC. “I couldn’t see anything out that window, though, it was pitch black.”
“LaShawna, she’s just a very affectionate person,” Hamiltion said.
Williams’ back was to the window, and Threatt was standing in front of her, Hamilton said.
“They leaned back a little bit, and they just went out,” he said.
Another friend in the room tried to grab Threatt’s arm.
Hamilton cut his hand on the glass while trying to hang on to his girlfriend to stop her from falling. Bleeding, he ran to the elevator and then outside.
“I come out of the door, see someone on the floor, and I just drop to the ground … I crawled over to her, covered her and said, ‘Hey, baby, stay with me, it’s going to be OK,” said Hamilton before he realized that the woman on the ground was Williams.
He stood up to look for Threatt but by that time Atlanta police officers had arrived.
“It’s been a nightmare for me,” Hamilton said. “How do two girls who weigh maybe 120 pounds a piece, standing at the window, build up enough force to not only break it but go out immediately?”
Campos with the APD said investigators won’t know if alcohol was involved until toxicology reports are completed, but a crime is not suspected.
“It appears that there was no malicious act, no foul play,” said Atlanta police homicide commander, Lt. Paul Guerrucci. “They were just wrestling with each other. They hit the window. The window broke. And they fell out.”
Threatt was a model, who also did party promotions for alcoholic beverage companies.
Williams is a dancer, said Passionate Chonvill, who owns a marketing company.
“She is a background dancer. Very big in urban dancing,” Chonvill said. “She is in love with dancing.”
Jomarys Castillo, 24, a friend of Threatt, said earlier Saturday, about 20 friends met at an Atlantic Station restaurant for a celebration dinner.
“It was her 30th birthday and it was wonderful and fabulous, just like she was,”
Said Castillo, who knew Threatt though modeling circles.
“The last thing we talked about was her wanting to come to my baby’s first birthday party on Aug. 11,” said Castillo through tears. “Her idol was Marilyn Monroe, so it is kind of ironic that she would die so young.”
Chonvill, who is another close friend of Threatt, said she missed the party as well, but confirmed from her friends who were there that the two were playing around.
“LaShawna is a mess, a silly goofball. She likes to play fight and tickle you. They had just gotten in the hotel and were having a good time,” Chonvill said. “My friends who were there, said it was so random. They literally just fell out the window. They are two small girls and I am trying to figure out how the hell, two small girls could break a window like that.”
A tragic end to what was supposed to be a celebration. A Facebook page has been set up in remembrance of Threatt.
R.I.P Lashawna and we will keep your family in our prayers, we wish Ciara Willliams a speedy recovery…Sad.