Overview
- Atlanta police detained 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle unarmed near the South Terminal TSA area within minutes of being alerted by Cartersville authorities.
- Officers found a Springfield AR-15–style rifle with 27 rounds in Cagle’s pickup truck parked at the curb outside the terminal, according to police.
- Cagle, a convicted felon, is charged locally with terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during a felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
- Authorities say he is being transferred to federal custody as the FBI investigates how he obtained the rifle in potential violation of federal law.
- Officials highlighted a family tip, extensive airport surveillance and coordinated dispatching as decisive in averting harm at the world’s busiest airport, with relatives reporting mental-health concerns.