A man has been arrested with a semi-automatic weapon at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport after threatening to “shoot it up,” according to police.
Shortly before 10 a.m. local time Monday, police found and detained Billy Joe Cagle, a 49-year-old Cartersville resident, inside the bustling airport. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is the busiest in the world, with more than 108 million passengers in 2024, according to one estimate.
Authorities had been tipped off by Cagle’s family earlier that morning.
“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,” Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a press conference.
Cagle arrived at the airport’s south terminal shortly before 9:30 a.m. and walked over to a TSA security checkpoint.
“He seemed to be very interested in the TSA check-in area,” Schierbaum said, adding that it “was heavily, heavily crowded.”
Cartersville Police notified Atlanta Police of the threat at 9:40 a.m., and they quickly found Cagle inside the south terminal near the checkpoint area.
Video shared by Atlanta Police showed officers confronting Cagle, who was unarmed. One officer asked Cagle why he was at the airport, and he said, “Oh, I’m just here. Why?”
The officer then asked what kind of car he drives. Authorities had put out a BOLO, be on the lookout, for his car, a white Chevrolet pickup truck parked outside the airport terminal.
Cagle claimed he got dropped off at the airport, and then the officer said, “Okay. We are just looking. We just have a situation going on.”
Moments later, the officer went to arrest Cagle, telling him to “Put your hands behind your back, sir.”
As the officer and another cop pinned Cagle to the ground and handcuffed him, he let out a wailing scream.
When officers located Cagle’s car, they said they found an AR-15 assault rifle in the backseat. Schierbaum said they found 27 rounds of ammunition with the gun.
“This individual did have a semi-automatic weapon and this individual was mentally challenged. And when you have those combinations together, it can turn out to be deadly,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at the press conference.
Schierbaum called the situation a “tragedy averted.”
“We’re here today briefing you on a success and not a tragedy, because a family saw something and said something,” he said.
Cagle was charged with Terroristic Threats, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony, Criminal Attempt to Commit Aggravated Assault and Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon.
It’s unclear whether Cagle has an attorney.
Airport operations have since resumed, and police say there are no active threats to the public.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reacted to the incident on X late Monday afternoon.
“DHS is in communication with our interagency partners and will share more information as soon as it becomes available,” she said. “I am thankful this individual was taken into custody by law enforcement before harming anyone.”
