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Atlanta police say officers found and arrested a man accused of planning to open fire at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport within 14 minutes of the first alert Monday morning.
Cartersville man arrested in Atlanta airport threat
Authorities said a family member walked into the Cartersville Police Department to report that 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle was livestreaming threats to “shoot up” the airport. Atlanta officers began broadcasting real-time descriptions of Cagle and his truck across airport units, then spotted him inside the South Domestic terminal and took him into custody near an exit door. Police said he was unarmed inside the building and appeared to be watching security lines. An AR-15 rifle with 27 total rounds was recovered from his truck at the curb, according to police.
Cagle faces charges of terroristic threats, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a felon. Police said he has a prior 1999 arrest for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Atlanta’s police chief said federal authorities are now involved and that Cagle was being transferred into federal custody Tuesday, while the FBI works to determine how he obtained the weapon.
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Sgt. Tywana Jones and Officer Myesha Banks
Sgt. Tywana Jones said she immediately pushed out details as she received them from Cartersville police and the family member. “Okay, so when I received the call from Cartersville Police Department, I did realize the urgency of trying to get all of the information out as soon as I could,” Jones said.
Officer Myesha Banks, who made the arrest, said training and teamwork took over once she matched the photo and clothing description to the man she saw. “As I put my hand on his back, that’s when I knew, okay, okay, it’s time. It’s time to put the cuffs on him,” Banks said. She added that the suspect “was pretty much I like kind of scanning the place around.”
Police leaders credited quick coordination, a steady radio push of updates, and the family’s decision to speak up. “They are bringing federal charges, and then we were advised that they we were actually being t he was being turned over to federal custody today from the Clayton County jail. And that is has should have taken place already,” the chief said.
Officials said the family’s warning and the officers’ response likely prevented a tragedy and kept airport operations calm throughout the incident.
