'Tragedy averted' at Atlanta Airport as police arrest man with AR-15 allegedly threatening to 'shoot it up'

A Georgia man was arrested Monday morning at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after allegedly threatening to open fire at one of the nation’s busiest travel hubs.

Atlanta police said 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle faces charges including terroristic threats, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Cartersville police said Cagle’s family alerted them after seeing him livestream on social media, saying he was heading to the airport to "shoot it up."

Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens praised the family and police response, saying, "Twenty-seven or more lives could have been lost today because an individual came into Hartsfield-Jackson, and after being reported coming out of Cartersville, Georgia, that had mental challenges. This individual, thankfully, his family went to the Cartersville police and shared with them what was going on, and they alerted APD, and the APD and airport were aware, and this crisis was averted."

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Police-provided photo shows 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle, who was arrested Oct. 20, 2025, after allegedly threatening on social media to "shoot up" Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (Atlanta Police Department)

Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said at a Monday afternoon news conference that Cagle arrived at the airport’s South Terminal at 9:29 a.m. Officers do not believe he was armed, Schierbaum said, adding that video showed him walking toward a crowded TSA checkpoint.

Officers canvassed the area and issued a "be-on-the-lookout" alert for Cagle and his Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck.

Schierbaum said officers, using a photo of Cagle, found him at 9:54 a.m. and took him into custody.

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Travelers pass through a crowded TSA checkpoint at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on the morning of Oct. 20, 2025, shortly before police arrested Billy Joe Cagle following an alleged threat to "shoot it up." (Atlanta Police Department)

Video showed officers using two sets of handcuffs to restrain the 6-foot-3, 320-pound man, who screamed as they cuffed him.

During a safety sweep of the airport’s outer perimeter, officers found Cagle’s pickup. Inside, they allegedly discovered an AR-15 loaded with 27 rounds in the back seat. The weapon was cleared, and the scene declared safe.

When asked whether Cagle was cooperating or what he told investigators, Schierbaum said the case remains open and declined to share details.

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Chevrolet flat-bed pickup truck and recovered AR-15 rifle that police say belonged to 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle, found parked curbside at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Oct. 20, 2025, after a social-media livestream threat to "shoot it up." (Atlanta Police Department)

The chief said investigators will also seek to determine Cagle’s motive in the apparent averted mass shooting.

Schierbaum said Cagle has a criminal history, including a "pretty significant" prior drug-possession arrest in Cartersville.

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Dickens added, "This individual did have a semiautomatic weapon and this individual was mentally challenged. When you have these combinations together, it can turn out to be deadly."