Skip to main content
Black Friday Sale - Get 40% off Vantage
Published loading...Updated

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`.
Insights by Ground AI

339 Articles

Right

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.

Lean Right

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…

·Spain
Read Full Article
Think freely.Subscribe and get full access to Ground NewsSubscriptions start at $9.99/yearSubscribe

Bias Distribution

  • 64% of the sources are Center
64% Center

Factuality Info Icon

To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium

Ownership

Info Icon

To view ownership data please Upgrade to Vantage

Georgia Public Broadcasting broke the news in Georgia, United States on Monday, October 20, 2025.
Too Big Arrow Icon
Sources are mostly out of (0)

Similar News Topics

News
Feed Dots Icon
For You
Search Icon
Search
Blindspot LogoBlindspotLocal