Billy Joe Cagle, the man accused of threatening to shoot up Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, pleaded not guilty to federal charges on Friday, his attorney said.
Billy Joe Cagle pleads not guilty
Billy Halliburton, one of the attorneys representing Cagle, addressed the media outside the federal courthouse after the hearing.
“In this case, we continually are treating this case as a medical issue and not an issue of malice criminal behavior,” Halliburton said. “You know, increasingly across this country, we see mental health issues. So we wanted to make sure we preserve his constitutional rights to a mental health evaluation and competency, even though he pled not guilty today.”
Billy Joe Cagle charges
Cagle, 49, is charged with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another, and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was previously charged by Atlanta police with several state crimes, including 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.
Airport threat arrest
According to the Department of Justice, Cagle was on a FaceTime call with family members when he allegedly threatened to shoot up the airport while driving there. During the call, he reportedly said, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” before abruptly ending the call.
After the call, Cagle’s family went to the Cartersville Police Department, which alerted Bartow County E-911. Dispatchers then contacted Atlanta police and airport officials, warning them about the threat.
Atlanta police arrested Cagle inside the airport after officers were sent his picture and located him. Following his arrest, officers found an AR-15 rifle in his truck, which had been parked near the airport entrance.
