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Who is Billy Joe Cagle? Man held at Atlanta airport for making threats to ‘shoot it up’, AR-15 assault rifle seized
Billy Joe Cagle was detained at Atlanta airport after family alerted police he was armed and threatening violence.
A man was taken into custody on Monday inside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after his relatives informed officials that he was armed and intended to “shoot it up” at the airport.
While Billy Joe Cagle was unarmed at the time of his arrest, investigators discovered a “AR-15 assault rifle” in his parked car.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum described it as a “tragedy averted” and stated that the arrested man has been charged with terroristic threats, criminal conspiracy to carry out aggravated assaults, possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Cagle resides in Cartersville, roughly an hour north of Atlanta. A Georgia Department of Corrections inquiry reveals that he was convicted of possession of marijuana over 20 years ago. Meanwhile, the FBI stated that it is assisting in the probe.
Who is Billy Joe Cagle? Atlanta Mayor says arrested man was ‘mentally challenged’
Addressing a press conference, Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said that this person was mentally challenged and did possess a semi-automatic handgun.
“This individual did have a semi-automatic weapon, and this individual was mentally challenged. And when you have those combinations together, it can turn out to be deadly,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said at a news conference Monday.
Schierbaum stated Cagle's family had informed Cartersville police that he had weapons and that he had stated in a social media broadcast that he was headed to the airport.
Following that, Cartersville police informed the Atlanta Police Department.
Schierbaum, however, claims that officials were unaware that Cagle had already reached the airport, having arrivedits south terminal just before 9:30 a.m.
“He seemed to be very interested in the TSA check-in area, which you can see was heavily, heavily crowded,” the chief stated, as per CNN.
In a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem expressed gratitude that the person was apprehended by law enforcement before causing harm to others.
