Jeanice Schewe
A mass shooting at Georgia’s largest airport has been avoided after police arrested a man who allegedly threatened to open fire with an assault rifle in one of the terminals.
Billy Joe Cagle, a 49-year-old from Cartersville in the Atlanta metropolitan area, was arrested Monday at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
On his way to the airport, Cagle had FaceTimed family members to tell them he was planning on shooting up the place.
Around 9.40am, family members called Cartersville police to tell them what happened and provide a picture of Cagle. The local department then informed Atlanta police, who responded to the threat.
Family members also told police Cagle had been livestreaming on social media shortly before he arrived at the airport.
Officers from the Atlanta police department arrived and found Cagle’s pickup truck blocking traffic. Inside, they discovered an AR-15 rifle and 27 rounds of ammunition.
Cagle had initially entered the terminal unarmed, and Schierbaum said he believed the suspect was scoping it out.
The police chief also said he believed Cagle was on his way back to the truck to pick up the rifle when officers arrested him and that he was ‘likely to use that weapon in the crowded terminal he had just seen.’
Police found Cagle in the airport around 9.54am, less than 15 minutes after the initial call was placed, and he was taken into custody.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said the close call ‘could have been tragic but was averted,’ adding that ’27 or more lives could have been lost today.’
He also said officials believe Cagle was experiencing a mental health crisis.
Cartersville police said Cagle had a criminal history. Georgia Department of Corrections records indicate that he was convicted of marijuana possession more than two decades ago.
According to Schierbaum, Cagle was charged with making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon.
City officials have praised the suspect’s family for calling the police, saying their actions likely prevented a tragedy.
At a press conference, Schierbaum thanked Officers Gibson and Banks, who arrested Cagle, as well as Sergeant Jones, who coordinated information as police received it.
The arrest came at a fraught time for the aviation industry – as airports across the US have been backed up and wait times at security checkpoints have been elevated due to staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown.
Mayor Dickens said ‘we’re thankful to God’ that the shooting was averted.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk | Read the Full Story…
