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The man, Billy Cagle, 49, was arrested after family members told the police that he was headed to the airport, “in their words, ‘to shoot it up,’” Atlanta’s police chief said.
Oct. 20, 2025, 5:21 p.m. ET
A man who appeared to be planning a large-scale attack at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was arrested on Monday after his family alerted law enforcement officials that he was on his way there to “shoot it up,” the authorities said.
The man, Billy Cagle, 49, was arrested at the airport and charged with making terroristic threats, an attempt to commit aggravated assault and other firearms charges, Chief Darin Schierbaum of the Atlanta Police Department said at a news conference on Monday.
Police officers found a AR-15-style rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition inside the Chevrolet flatbed pickup truck that Mr. Cagle had parked directly outside the airport, the authorities said.
The authorities were alerted to a potential threat at the airport around 9:40 a.m. after Mr. Cagle’s family informed them “that he was streaming on social media that he was headed to the airport, in their words, ‘to shoot it up,’” Chief Schierbaum said.
“What we didn’t know is that Mr. Cagle had already arrived at the airport,” he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Livia Albeck-Ripka is a Times reporter based in Los Angeles, covering breaking news, California and other subjects.
