Authorities in Atlanta announced that they had stopped a mass shooting incident at one of the world’s busiest airports
Authorities in Atlanta said they averted a tragedy on Monday after a man’s family told police he was headed to the city’s airport “to be shot.”
Police found an AR-15 assault rifle containing 27 rounds of ammunition in the man’s truck, which was parked outside Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to the city’s police chief, Darren Scherbaum.
“There were 27 rounds that could have been fired from this weapon inside the airport,” Scherbaum told reporters.
Billy Cagle, 49, was arrested on suspicion of making terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault and firearms charges, the police department said.
It was not immediately clear whether he had an attorney to speak on his behalf.
Investigators are working to determine a possible motive, Scherbaum said. Officials said Cagle had “mental challenges” but declined to provide additional details.
“I told my kids that if anything happened to me and they sued, they could get $50 to $100 million,” Cagle wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Cagle’s relatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cagle’s family told police in Cartersville, northwest of Atlanta, that he was broadcasting his plans live on social media, Scherbaum said.
“He was heading to the airport, they said, to be shot, and the family reported that he had an assault rifle,” Scherbaum said. “What we didn’t know was that Mr. Cagle had already arrived at the airport.”
The president said security video showed Cagle entering the airport’s crowded south terminal at 9:29 a.m., 11 minutes before police in Cartersville alerted authorities in Atlanta. Scherbaum said he seemed “very interested” in the TSA check-in area.
Officers found Cagle at 9:54 a.m. and took him into custody, according to the chief. He was not armed at the time.
Police searched Cagle’s Chevrolet flatbed and found the assault rifle containing 27 rounds of ammunition.
“See something, say something that worked,” Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens told reporters. “We stand here talking about a tragedy that was averted, versus standing here telling you about the more than 27 lives lost or injured at the world’s busiest airport.”