Man Arrested at Atlanta Airport After His Family Thwarted His Alleged Plans to ‘Shoot It Up': 'Tragedy Averted'

A situation was averted astatine Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport aft a man's family informed section authorities of his alleged scheme to "shoot it up."

According to Atlanta Police Department Chief Darin Schierbaum astatine astir 9:40 a.m. section clip connected Monday, Oct. 20, nan APD was alerted by nan Cartersville Police Department of a imaginable threat to nan airport.

Schierbaum said during a press conference connected Monday day that nan CPD received an alert from 49-year-old Cartersville, Georgia autochthonal Billy Joe Cagle's family that he "was streaming connected societal media" and "was headed to nan airdrome successful their words to 'shoot it up.' "

Captain Greg Sparacio of nan Cartersville Police Department said that Cagle's family informed nan CPD that Cagle was en way to "somewhere successful nan Atlanta area," and that he allegedly "had nan volition to inflict harm to arsenic galore group arsenic he could."

He was described by Atlanta politician Andre Dickens arsenic allegedly having "mental challenges," and being a felon. According to a Georgia Department of Corrections online search, Cagle was antecedently convicted of marijuana possession.

Cagle parked his Chevrolet flatbed pickup motortruck extracurricular of airport's southbound terminal astatine 9:29 a.m. earlier stepping wrong nan building astatine 9:31 a.m. Schierbaum said surveillance footage showed that Cagle seemed to beryllium "very willing successful nan TSA check-in," which was "heavily crowded pinch travelers."

In assemblage camera footage shown during nan property conference, officers attack Cagle pinch a photograph of him connected their phones and inquire him questions earlier taking him to nan crushed while handcuffing him. Officers took Cagle into custody astatine 9:54 a.m., according to nan constabulary chief.

Inside his vehicle, officers recovered an AR-15 pinch 27 rounds of ammunition. Officers besides recovered a canine successful nan motortruck that was turned complete to nan family, per Schierbaum.

Cagle was charged pinch terroristic threats, possession of a firearm during nan committee of a felony, criminal effort to perpetrate aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, per Schierbaum and an APD press release.

A motive remains nether investigation and nan FBI said it is assisting successful nan investigation.

“We’re present coming briefing you connected a occurrence and not a calamity because a family saw thing and said something,” said Schierbaum. "A family knew they had a family personnel successful crisis. They knew they had entree to firearms and they were connected societal media."

Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is recognized arsenic nan busiest airdrome successful nan world, pinch much than 108 cardinal group flying done successful 2024, per nan Airports Council International.

The incident happened nan aforesaid time that their airdrome advised passengers connected X that they whitethorn acquisition longer than accustomed hold times astatine checkpoints owed to TSA staffing shortages amid nan authorities shutdown.

PEOPLE has reached retired to nan Transportation Security Administration and nan Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport for comment.

If you aliases personification you cognize needs intelligence wellness help, matter "STRENGTH" to nan Crisis Text Line astatine 741-741 to beryllium connected to a certified situation counselor.