Man who planned to shoot up Atlanta’s airport is arrested in a terminal following a tip, police say
A 49-year-old felon with mental health challenges was arrested after threatening to attack the airport; police found an AR-15 rifle with 27 rounds in his vehicle, officials said.
- On Monday, Atlanta Police arrested Billy Joe Cagle, 49, of Cartersville, inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after his family alerted officers and an AR-15 with 27 rounds was found in his pickup truck parked outside.
- After the family tip, investigators said Cagle livestreamed plans to "shoot it up" and has a history of mental illness and felony convictions, officials confirmed.
- Arriving just before 9:30 a.m., Cagle entered the South Terminal at 9:31 a.m.; Cartersville police alerted Atlanta at 9:40 a.m., and officers arrested him 14 minutes later.
- Authorities charged Cagle with terroristic threats and firearms offenses, FBI Atlanta and federal authorities assist the probe, and Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said, 'We did have a tragedy averted today'.
- As one of the world's busiest hubs, Hartsfield-Jackson faces high security stakes as police believe Cagle scoped the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint and community and family credited for alerting police, with Schierbaum saying 'Today is how it should work'.
338 Articles
338 Articles
Convicted felon federally charged after threatening Atlanta airport while armed with AR-15 rifle – Democratic Accent
A Georgia man accused of threatening to “shoot up” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been federally charged after authorities say he arrived at the busy travel hub with an AR-15-style rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition in his truck. Convicted felon Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was charged in a criminal complaint on Tuesday with …
White Man Accused Of Plotting To Shoot Up Atlanta Airport
Source: Clayton County Sheriff’s Office / Clayton County Sheriff’s Office Here we go again… On Monday, Oct. 20, a man was taken into custody after his family called Cartersville, Ga., police to report that he was driving to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport with the intention of shooting as many people as possible. And before you ask—yes, we’re talking about the usual suspect. According to Fox 5 Atlanta, 49-year-old Billy Joe Cag…
A relative called the police on Monday morning (20/10), informing them of a post he made on a social networking platform that he was heading to the airport with the intention of carrying out an armed attack.
On Monday, October 20, 2025, the authorities in Georgia, United States, managed to arrest an armed man at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta just in time to avoid a possible shooting. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, had made threats on social media and showed up at the airport with a semi-automatic weapon and 27 bullets. VIDEO: Detention in 14 minutes: The rapid reaction prevents a tragedy at Atlanta airport Cagle's family alerted Cartersv…
A man has been in prison since Tuesday after being arrested on Monday at Atlanta’s main airport with an assault rifle and ammunition cache. It was the family itself that told the authorities that he planned to “shoot” at the terminal, according to police reports. Billy Joe Cagle , 49 years old and originally from Cartersville, Georgia, was arrested shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday when he was seen “watching” the crowd at a crowded Hartsfield-Jac…
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