Quick Action Prevents Potential Tragedy at Atlanta Airport

Tue Oct 21 2025 14:51:06 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

An armed man was arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after family tipped off authorities about his violent intentions, leading to a police intervention that prevented a possible shooting.

Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was apprehended at Atlanta's busy airport after his family alerted police about his plan to carry out a mass shooting. Officers found an AR-15 rifle and ammunition in his vehicle, and he now faces multiple charges including making terroristic threats. The swift action by his family and law enforcement is credited with preventing a tragedy.

ATLANTA (AP) — Police arrested a man at Atlanta’s bustling airport on Monday after getting a tip from his family that he was planning to shoot up the place, and found an assault rifle and ammunition in his truck outside, the city’s police chief said.

Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his plan to shoot up the world’s busiest airport on a social media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference.

“The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by the family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the Atlanta airport, in their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle as a “convicted felon.”

Cagle, 49, arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in a Chevrolet pickup truck that was parked right outside the doors to the airport terminal. When police went to the vehicle, they found an AR-15 with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said.

Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio, whose department received the initial tip from family members, said Cagle “had the intention to inflict harm to as many people as he could.”

During the news conference, police showed surveillance video that shows Cagle arriving at the airport and body-camera video of his arrest. Body-camera footage shows Atlanta police officers, who had a photo of Cagle provided by his family on their phones, approach him and start asking him questions before taking him into custody. As they take him to the ground and put handcuffs on him, Cagle can be heard yelling.

Cagle has been charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon, Schierbaum said. Atlanta police will work with federal authorities to determine how he obtained the gun, “which he was not able to legally possess,” Schierbaum said.

Mayor Andre Dickens expressed gratitude for the averted tragedy, stating, “We’re thankful to God and to good information, and good intel, and good people for this crisis being averted.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also commended the successful intervention on the social platform X, adding, “I am thankful this individual was taken into custody by law enforcement before harming anyone.”