Phone Calls Helped Thwart Would-Be ATL Airport Shooter

We are learning more about the arrest of a man attempting a mass shooting at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, convicted felon Billy Joe Cagle faces federal charges after threatening to “shoot up” the airport on Monday, October 20.

According to the DOJ, Cagle was on FaceTime with family when he allegedly said, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” before abruptly ending the call.

Cagle’s family immediately went to the Cartersville Police Department, warning that he had an AR-15 rifle with him. That call set off a quick chain of communication between emergency dispatchers in Bartow and Fulton counties, who immediately notified Atlanta PD.

More from FOX 5:

Body camera video released Monday shows Atlanta police officers searching for Cagle at the airport’s South Terminal just minutes after receiving the alert. Dispatchers quickly distributed a photo of the suspect, allowing officers to identify him less than 20 minutes after the initial warning.

“This is Bartow County 911. We had a call from our city about a male headed to the airport, threatening to shoot up the airport,” a dispatcher is heard saying in recorded radio traffic.

Officers found Cagle inside the terminal and took him into custody without anyone being injured.

Cops later said they found Cagle’s AR-15 rifle in his truck outside the terminal. It was loaded with one round in the chamber and 26 in the magazine.

Cagle now faces three federal charges:

• Attempted violence at an international airport
• Interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another
• Being a felon in possession of a firearm

Phone Calls Helped Thwart Would-Be ATL Airport Shooter  was originally published on majicatl.com