Man Arrested For Threatening To Shoot Up Major US Airport

A man was arrested after threatening to shoot up the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday (October 20), authorities confirmed via ABC News.

Billy Cagle, 49, of Cartersville, Georgia, was charged with terroristic threats and criminal attempt to commit aggravated assaults, among other counts, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum. Cagle's family alerted police that he had been streaming on social media and had a semi-automatic assault rifle in his possession when he was headed to the airport on Monday.

Cagle, who is a felon reported to have mental health challenges, was detained after entering a terminal and officers found an AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition in his pickup truck, which was parked outside.

"Because of the community -- in this case, the family -- as well as the joint collaboration of law enforcement, a tragedy was indeed averted," Schierbaum said at a press briefing Monday via ABC News.

Cagle reportedly arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport through the south terminal at 9:29 a.m. local time, went to the TSA check-in area and was reported to be "scanning that area." Chierbaum said Cagle is suspected to have then walked back to his truck to get the assault rifle, at which point he was met by officers at 9:54 a.m. and detained unarmed.

"I do believe he was likely to use that weapon inside the crowded terminal," Schierbaum said via ABC News.

Cagle's family alerted the the Cartersville Police Department of his alleged social media threats just after 9:30 a.m. local time, with that department then contacting the Atlanta Police Department at around 9:40 a.m. Cartersville Police Capt. Greg Sparacio told reporters that the family said Cagle was "en route to somewhere in the Atlanta area" at the time of the initial call and he "had the intention to do harm to as many people as he could."

Investigators determined what pickup truck Cagle was traveling in and relayed that information to the Atlanta Police Department. Authorities are still investigating a possible motive in relation to the incident.