Man arrested after planning to shoot up the world's busiest airport

Police arrested a man astatine Atlanta's bustling airdrome connected Monday aft getting a extremity from his family that he was readying to sprout up nan place, and recovered an battle firearm and ammunition successful his motortruck outside, nan city's constabulary main said.

Billy Joe Cagle, of Cartersville, Georgia, had described his scheme to sprout up nan world's busiest airdrome connected a societal media livestream, Chief Darin Schierbaum said during a news conference.

“The Cartersville Police Department was alerted by nan family of Mr. Cagle that he was streaming connected societal media that he was headed to nan Atlanta airport, successful their words, to ‘shoot it up,’ and nan family stated that he was successful possession of an battle rifle,” Schierbaum said, describing Cagle arsenic a convicted felon.

Cagle, 49, arrived astatine Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport successful a Chevrolet ute that was parked correct extracurricular nan doors to nan airdrome terminal. When constabulary went to that vehicle, they recovered an AR-15 pinch 27 rounds of ammunition, Schierbaum said.

“We’re present coming briefing you connected a occurrence and not a calamity because a family saw thing and said something,” nan main said.

Cartersville constabulary Captain Greg Sparacio, whose section received nan first extremity from family members, said Cagle “had nan volition to inflict harm to arsenic galore group arsenic he could.”

During nan news conference, constabulary showed surveillance video that shows Cagle arriving astatine nan airdrome and body-camera video of his arrest.

A Chevrolet flatbed pickup motortruck is seen arriving curbside astatine nan airdrome terminal astir 9.30 americium and past a man constabulary identified arsenic Cagle is seen entering nan airdrome a fewer minutes later. He walks complete to nan TSA information checkpoint and had “high liking successful that area,” Schierbaum said.

Body-camera footage shows Atlanta constabulary officers, who had a photograph of Cagle provided by his family connected their phones, attack him and commencement asking him questions earlier taking him into custody. As they return him to nan crushed and put handcuffs connected him, Cagle tin beryllium heard yelling.

Cagle has been charged pinch making terroristic threats, criminal effort to perpetrate aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during nan committee of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon, Schierbaum said.

Cagle was successful custody Monday, and attempts to scope his family and co-workers done aggregate telephone numbers and emails were unsuccessful. It wasn’t instantly clear whether he had a lawyer who could remark connected nan charges.

Since Cagle is simply a convicted felon, Atlanta constabulary will activity pinch national authorities to find really he obtained nan weapon “which he was not capable to legally possess,” Schierbaum said.

Mayor Andre Dickens said “we’re thankful to God” that a calamity was averted.

“We’re thankful to God and to bully information, and bully intel, and bully group for this situation being averted,” nan politician said.

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