Man with gun arrested at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta airport after making threats

ATLANTA - A man is facing multiple charges after police said he threatened to "shoot up" Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and was arrested there with a gun in his truck.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport threat

What we know:

According to police, Billy Joe Cagle was taken into custody Monday morning after his family called Cartersville police to report that he was driving to Atlanta and threatening to harm as many people as possible.

Cartersville police alerted the Atlanta Police Department about the threats around 9:40 a.m. and shared Cagle’s photo. Atlanta officers were told he was likely headed to the airport.

Police said Cagle entered the terminal through door S1 at 9:31 a.m. and had been inside for about 20 minutes before officers spotted him. Officers arrested him at 9:54 a.m., less than 15 minutes after being notified of the threats.

Cagle did not have any weapons on him at the time of his arrest, but police said they found an AR-15 rifle in his truck, loaded with one bullet in the chamber and 26 rounds in the magazine.

In newly released footage, an officer is heard approaching a man and asking, "What are your reasons at the airport right now?" 

The man replies that he "got dropped off." Moments later, an officer identifies him by name and orders, "Put your hands behind your back, sir." The man pleads, "Give me my phone… it’s family," as additional officers move in to confirm his identity.

Atlanta police on airport threat

What they're saying:

Officials praised Cagle’s family for contacting law enforcement, saying their actions likely prevented a tragedy. Police said this is a case where the family saw something and said something. 

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum thanked Officers Gibson and Banks, who arrested Cagle, and Sgt. Jones, who helped coordinate information as it came in.

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"We did have a tragedy averted today," Schierbaum said, crediting two Atlanta officers and the alert relayed by Cartersville police after Cagle’s family reported his social media threat. "I do believe he was headed back to his truck to retrieve it."

Mayor Andre Dickens said, "27 or more lives could have been lost today" and called the response a model of how law enforcement and the public should work together.

"What you’re seeing is we are experiencing across the nation where guns and mental health challenges going together can pose a deadly scenario," Dickens said. "But in this situation today, this crisis was averted."

Cartersville police confirmed Cagle has a criminal history and said his family acted quickly after seeing his threats online. A dog found in his truck was safely returned to relatives.

"This is what a proper response by citizens and by law enforcement should look like," Schierbaum said.

Atlanta airport threat: As it unfolded

Timeline:

Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said officers took 49-year-old Billy Cagle of Cartersville into custody at 9:54 a.m, just 14 minutes after they were alerted. Cagle had already entered the South Domestic Terminal and appeared to be scouting the packed TSA checkpoint area, he said.

Security video shows Cagle arriving at the airport at around 9:29 a.m..

Two minutes later, he parked his vehicle at the South Terminal in front of the S1 door.

At 9:40 a.m., the Carterville Police Department notified the Atlanta Police Department of the threat made by Cagle.

He was taken into custody at 9:54 a.m.

Officers found his Chevy flatbed truck parked outside the terminal and recovered a Springfield AR-15 style rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition inside, Schierbaum said. Cagle is a convicted felon and was not legally allowed to possess a firearm, according to police.

Bill Joe Cagle charges

What's next:

Cagle faces charges of 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.

According to the Georgia Department of Corrections, Cagle was convicted of possession of marijuana more than two decades ago.

TSA issues

Dig deeper:

The arrest came the same day as the Transportation Security Agency said wait times at the security checkpoints were longer due to staffing shortages, the first time this has happened since the federal government shutdown began on Oct. 1.  

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