Federal charges for man accused of threatening to shoot up Atlanta airport
A man accused of going to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after making a threat to shoot it up now faces multiple federal charges, the Department of Justice said Tuesday. Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was taken into custody in a terminal at the airport on Monday after a family member reported the alleged threat to…
A man accused of going to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after making a threat to shoot it up now faces multiple federal charges, the Department of Justice said Tuesday.
Billy Joe Cagle, 49, was taken into custody in a terminal at the airport on Monday after a family member reported the alleged threat to police, authorities said. An AR-15-style firearm was located in his pickup truck, which was parked in a crosswalk in front of the terminal, according to the DOJ.
A man who allegedly threatened to shoot up the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was arrested after entering a terminal at the airport on Monday, according to authorities.
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Cagle has now been charged via criminal complaint 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, the DOJ said Tuesday.
Cagle allegedly threatened to “shoot up the airport” in a FaceTime call, prosecutors said.
“On the call while he was driving, Cagle allegedly stated, ‘I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,’ after which he abruptly ended the call,” the DOJ said in a press release.
The person on the call drove to the Cartersville Police Department to report the alleged threat, and officers alerted the Atlanta Police Department while providing images of Cagle and a description of his vehicle, the DOJ said.
After arriving at the airport at 9:29 a.m. on Monday, officers encountered him in the terminal at 9:54 a.m. and he was taken into custody unarmed, Atlanta police said.
Police body camera footage of an arrest at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is shown during a press briefing, Oct. 20, 2025.
Atlanta Police Department
Police body camera footage of an arrest at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is shown during a press briefing, Oct. 20, 2025.
Atlanta Police Department
“As alleged in this complaint, Cagle senselessly threatened to do heinous violence to innocent travelers, at the world’s busiest airport, with a high-powered weapon that he had no legal right to possess,” U.S. Attorney Theodore Hertzberg said in a statement. “Thanks to the vigilance of other citizens and the quick action of law enforcement, a horrible tragedy was averted.”
Cagle additionally faces state charges, including terroristic threats, Atlanta police said.
He remains in custody and is scheduled to make his first appearance on the state charges on Wednesday in Clayton County.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.