Atlanta authorities said that a deadly tragedy was averted after they arrested a convicted felon who had allegedly had plans for a mass shooting at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).
Speaking to members of the press on Monday, authorities said that the suspected would-be shooter, 49-year-old Billy Cagle, had entered the airport and allegedly planned to “shoot it up” today with an AR-15. Police said that thanks to a call from a concerned family member in Cartersville to the police, a possible attack at one of the world’s busiest airports was averted.
WATCH LIVE: Officials hold press conference after arrest of suspect in alleged Atlanta airport threat https://t.co/0iH4TyMBOL
— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 20, 2025
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Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said Cagle of Carterville was arrested and taken into custody in the morning after authorities were alerted about a possible threat from APD at the airport.
Schierbaum said that family members claimed Cagle had been streaming on his social media his planned attack, that he was headed to the airport, “in his words to shoot it up.”
“And the family stated that he was in possession of an assault rifle,” the police chief said. “What we didn’t know was that Mr. Cagle had already arrived at the airport.”
Police said that at the initial time he was seen on security cameras entering the airport, he was not armed. Law enforcement was then able to locate Cagle and take him into custody. It was later that a Springfield AR-15 assault rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition were found in his vehicle.
Both Schierbaum and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens did not beat around the bush and said a tragedy was averted today, because they believe that before Cagle was located, he was headed back to his truck to retrieve the weapon.
“We are here to talk about an incident that occurred at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) that was averted today, thankfully,” Dickens told the press. “In particular, twenty-seven or more lives could’ve been lost today because an individual came into our Hartsfield-Jackson after being reported 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,” he added. “And alerted APD, and APD notified the airport. And this crisis was averted.”
“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,” Dickenson continued.
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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) reacted to the report and wrote on X, “Thank God the police caught the would-be mass shooter before he committed mass murder at the Atlanta airport!!
Thank God the police caught the would be mass shooter before he committed mass murder at the Atlanta airport!!
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) October 20, 2025
I can’t thank the police enough for acting swiftly to save everyone!
Also my daughter and son in law were at the Atlanta airport today.
pic.twitter.com/xpCWfzFMa3
“I can’t thank the police enough for acting swiftly to save everyone!” she added. “Also, my daughter and son-in-law were at the Atlanta airport today.”
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem also praised the APD’s response.
Today at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, an individual with an AR-15 was arrested after threatening to “shoot up” the airport.
— Kristi Noem (@KristiNoem) October 20, 2025
DHS is in communication with our interagency partners and will share more information as soon as it becomes available.
I am…
“Today at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, an individual with an AR-15 was arrested after threatening to “shoot up” the airport. DHS is in communication with our interagency partners and will share more information as soon as it becomes available.
I am thankful this individual was taken into custody by law enforcement before harming anyone.
Charges against Cagle range from counts of terroristic threats to criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault.
As the police said, a family member absolutely did the right thing here.
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