{"id":322787,"date":"2025-10-22T03:14:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T03:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/322787\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T03:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T03:14:13","slug":"georgia-man-federally-charged-for-threatening-atlanta-airport-with-rifle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/322787\/","title":{"rendered":"Georgia man federally charged for threatening Atlanta airport with rifle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

A Georgia man<\/a> accused of threatening to “shoot up” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport has been federally charged after authorities say he arrived at the busy travel hub with an AR-15-style rifle and dozens of rounds of ammunition in his truck.<\/p>\n

Convicted felon Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was charged in a criminal complaint on Tuesday with attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another and being a felon in possession of a firearm.<\/p>\n

“As alleged in this complaint, Cagle senselessly threatened to do heinous violence to innocent travelers, at the world\u2019s busiest airport, with a high-powered weapon that he had no legal right to possess,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said. “Thanks to the vigilance of other citizens and the quick action of law enforcement, a horrible tragedy was averted.”<\/p>\n

Hertzberg said Cagle was on a FaceTime call on Monday when he allegedly threatened to “shoot up the airport.” The airport Cagle was referring to was Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.<\/p>\n

MAN ARRESTED WITH FULLY LOADED AR-15 AND KNIVES OUTSIDE PALM BEACH AIRPORT FREQUENTED BY TRUMP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Image <\/p>\n

Police-provided photo shows 49-year-old Billy Joe Cagle, who was arrested Oct. 20, 2025, after allegedly threatening to “shoot up” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (Atlanta Police Department)<\/p>\n

While on the call, Hertzberg added, Cagle allegedly stated, “I\u2019m at the airport, and I\u2019m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” before abruptly ending the call.<\/p>\n

The person on the other end of the call went to the Cartersville Police Department<\/a> to report Cagle\u2019s threat, and officers with the department alerted the Atlanta Police Department. Cartersville also provided Atlanta police with photos of Cagle and a description of the Chevrolet pickup truck he was reportedly driving.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum<\/a> said at a Monday afternoon news conference that Cagle arrived at the airport\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

‘TRAGEDY AVERTED’ AT ATLANTA AIRPORT AS POLICE ARREST MAN WITH AR-15 ALLEGEDLY THREATENING TO ‘SHOOT IT UP’<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Billy <\/p>\n

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. (Atlanta Police Department)<\/p>\n

Officers canvassed the area and issued a “be-on-the-lookout” alert for Cagle and his Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck.<\/p>\n

Schierbaum said officers, using a photo of Cagle, found him at 9:54 a.m. and took him into custody.<\/p>\n

During a safety sweep of the airport\u2019s outer perimeter<\/a>, officers found Cagle\u2019s pickup. Inside, they said they discovered an AR-15 loaded with 27 rounds in the back seat. The weapon was cleared, and the scene declared safe.<\/p>\n

BONDI ANNOUNCES ARREST OF ‘COWARD’ WHO ALLEGEDLY THREATENED CONSERVATIVE INFLUENCER FOLLOWING KIRK’S MURDER<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"Atlanta <\/p>\n

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)<\/p>\n

The FBI is investigating the case with assistance from both the Cartersville and Atlanta police departments and Clayton County District Attorney’s office.<\/p>\n

“This is a perfect example of \u2018See Something, Say Something\u2019 in action,” FBI Atlanta Special Agent<\/a> in Charge Paul Brown said. “When Billy Joe Cagle\u2019s family noticed something wasn\u2019t right, they alerted authorities. Their quick thinking \u00a0\u2014combined with the swift, heroic response of our law enforcement partners \u2014 undoubtedly saved lives.”<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cagle has a criminal history, including a “pretty significant” prior drug-possession arrest in Cartersville, according to Schierbaum.<\/p>\n

The charges against Cagle announced Tuesday are in addition to charges announced previously. Those include terroristic threats<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

Story tips and ideas can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A Georgia man accused of threatening to “shoot up” Hartsfield-Jackson…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":322788,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[4219,4353,50,76332,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-322787","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-crime","10":"tag-georgia","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-police-and-law-enforcement","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115415644521258982","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=322787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/322787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/322788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=322787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=322787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=322787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}