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Family Tip Thwarts Alleged Shooting Plot at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport

A family alert allowed officers to locate the convicted felon within minutes of being notified.

Overview

  • Billy Joe Cagle, 49, of Cartersville, was arrested inside the South Terminal after relatives reported his livestreamed threat to “shoot it up,” police said.
  • Cagle arrived around 9:29 a.m., Atlanta police were alerted at 9:40 a.m., and he was taken into custody near a TSA checkpoint at about 9:54 a.m., unarmed at the time.
  • Officers found a Springfield Saint Victor AR-15–style rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition in Cagle’s Chevrolet pickup parked outside the terminal.
  • Authorities charged Cagle with 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.
  • Federal partners including the FBI are assisting as investigators examine how a prohibited person obtained the rifle; officials reported no ongoing threat to airport operations.