Georgia authorities say they prevented a possible mass shooting in one of the world’s busiest airports on Monday morning after a man’s family warned cops that their rifle-wielding relative was headed there to “shoot it up.”
Billy Joe Cagle’s family members alerted the Cartersville Police Department that their relative livestreamed on social media that he was going to target Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta Police Department chief Darin Schierbaum said at a Monday press conference.
The family told police that Cagle, 49, was in possession of an assault rifle, Schierbaum said.
Unbeknownst to officers at the time, Cagle had already arrived at the airport around 9:29 a.m. and entered the south domestic terminal, video footage showed.
“He seemed to be very interested in the TSA check-in area, which you can see was heavily, heavily crowded with travelers,” Schierbaum told reporters.
After Cartersville police alerted the Atlanta Police Department at 9:40 a.m. of the possible threat, cops located him and took him into custody just 14 minutes later, police said.
Police then searched Cagle’s Chevy flatbed which was parked just outside the terminal and discovered an Springfield AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum revealed.
“We did have a tragedy averted today,” the police chief said.
“I just a short while ago spoke to two officers in this department and thanked them, because if it was not for Officer Gibson and Officer Banks, and Sergeant Jones, that was providing them, I do believe that Mr. Cagle was headed back to his truck to retrieve it and I do believe he was likely to use that weapon inside the crowded terminal,” Schierbaum added.
Cagle, who has a previous felony conviction, was arrested and charged with suspicion of terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault and firearms charges, authorities said.
Court records obtained by The Post show he was previously incarcerated in Georgia in 2000 for possession of marijuana.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens described Cagle as having “mental challenges,” without elaborating further.
In a Facebook post Sunday, Cagle wrote “I told my kids if anything happens to me sue, they can get 50-100 million.”
In replies to concerned friends, Cagle stated he takes medication for schizophrenia.
“Sometimes I think I’m being set up or someone going to kill me. Shot me, set the house on fire, make it look like it blew up. Make it look like suicide,” he wrote in one reply.
Relatives of Cagle did not respond to requests for comment by The Post.
The incident remains under investigation as authorities probe a possible motive.
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