Photo: Atlanta Police Department
A man who was arrested after threatening to shoot up the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday (October 20) is now facing federal charges.
Billy Cagle, 49, of Cartersville, Georgia, who was initially charged with terroristic threats and criminal attempt to commit aggravated assaults, among other counts, is now being charged via criminal complaint 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, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday (October 21). Cagle allegedly threatened to "shoot up the airport" while on a FaceTime call prior to his arrest, according to prosecutors.
"On the call while he was driving, Cagle allegedly stated, 'I'm at the airport, and I'm gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,' after which he abruptly ended the call," the DOJ said in a press release states.
Cagle, who is reported mental health challenges, was detained after entering a terminal and officers found an AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition in his pickup truck, which was parked outside.
"Because of the community -- in this case, the family -- as well as the joint collaboration of law enforcement, a tragedy was indeed averted," Schierbaum said at a press briefing Monday via ABC News.
Cagle reportedly arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport through the south terminal at 9:29 a.m. local time, went to the TSA check-in area and was reported to be "scanning that area." Chierbaum said Cagle is suspected to have then walked back to his truck to get the assault rifle, at which point he was met by officers at 9:54 a.m. and detained unarmed.
"I do believe he was likely to use that weapon inside the crowded terminal," Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said via ABC News.
Cagle's family alerted the the Cartersville Police Department of his alleged social media threats just after 9:30 a.m. local time, with that department then contacting the Atlanta Police Department at around 9:40 a.m. Cartersville Police Capt. Greg Sparacio told reporters that the family said Cagle was "en route to somewhere in the Atlanta area" at the time of the initial call and he "had the intention to do harm to as many people as he could."
Investigators determined what pickup truck Cagle was traveling in and relayed that information to the Atlanta Police Department.