Ga. Police Officers Tell How They Thwarted Suspect Threatening to 'Shoot Up' Atlanta Airport

“After the adrenaline went down, … I realized I know why I’m a police officer,” said an Atlanta police sergeant who helped stop an armed man who allegedly threatened to open fire at the airport.

By Alexis Stevens and Jozsef Papp

Source The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Oct. 22, 2025

5 min read

What to know

Atlanta and Cartersville police quickly worked together to arrest a 49-year-old man minutes after he allegedly threatened to “shoot up” Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and livestream it.
Officers located the suspect inside the airport and took him into custody without incident, uncovering an AR-15 and 27 rounds of ammunition in his truck parked outside.
The suspect, a convicted felon, faces state and federal charges, including making terrorist threats, firearm possession and attempted violence at an international airport.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum discusses the arrest of a man armed with a rifle who threatened to 'shoot up' Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday. — Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum discusses the arrest of a man armed with a rifle who threatened to "shoot up" Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday.

ATLANTA — He calmly walked into the Atlanta airport, watching the crowd of travelers hurrying to make their flights. Billy Joe Cagle wasn’t carrying luggage or anything else, and didn’t look rushed.

It was 9:31 on a Monday morning. Minutes later, one of Cagle’s relatives walked into the Cartersville police station after being alarmed by a Facetime conversation.

Then, two police agencies 55 miles apart worked together — fast.

By 9:54 a.m., Cagle was in two sets of handcuffs, because of his 6-foot-4, 350-pound frame, and in the custody of Atlanta police.

On Tuesday, those responsible for halting potential bloodshed at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport recounted the terrifying moments after a veteran Atlanta sergeant received a call from those authorities in Bartow County. Cagle’s family member had told police the 49-year-old said he was headed to Atlanta to “shoot up” the airport, according to officials. He intended to livestream it on social media, police said Tuesday.

During the call, Cagle allegedly stated, “I’m at the airport, and I’m gonna go rat-a-tat-tat,” before he hung up, according to investigators.

By the time the leaders of the airport precinct learned about the threat, Cagle was already inside. Just outside the South terminal, at 9:29 a.m., he had parked his flatbed truck, leaving a dog inside along with an AR-15 and 27 rounds of ammunition, according to police.

Officer Myesha Banks, who has worked for the Atlanta department for three years, spotted him based on the information her supervisors had provided. She quickly alerted a fellow officer, who helped her take Cagle into custody.

“After the adrenaline went down and after everything calmed down, I realized I know why I’m a police officer,” Banks said. “I know why I’m here and I serve at the Atlanta Police Department.”

Officers from the two departments were forced to work quickly, following their constant training, to thwart violence. Atlanta police Chief Darin Schierbaum credited Cagle’s family for sounding the alarm.

“They saved lives, and they saved a family member’s life,” he said.

Cartersville police Capt. Greg Sparacio said deciding to report the threat was vital, but a difficult decision for anyone to make.

“People need to realize that it’s hard to turn family in,” he said. “You only want what’s best for your family member.”

They saved lives, and they saved a family member’s life.
- Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum, crediting a relative for alerting authorities that a 49-year-old man had threatened to go on a shooting spree at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

The Cartersville and Atlanta agencies don’t often have the opportunity to work together, Sparacio said. But on Monday, the collaboration was nearly flawless.

“The tragedies that we’ve seen play out across the nation didn’t happen here (Monday),” Schierbaum said.

While a dispatcher in Bartow reached out to Atlanta police, Sparacio called Maj. David Wilson with APD’s airport precinct, whom he had previously met.

The communication was quick. It had to be.

Cagle, according to police, was having a mental health episode. But in using Facetime, his family was able to not only hear the threat, but also see him in a light blue, short-sleeve shirt. That description, along with the type of Chevrolet truck he was driving, helped officers quickly locate him at the airport.

An agency the size of Atlanta police has multiple phone numbers, but the administrative assistant at the airport division quickly got the urgent message to Sgt. Tywana Jones, police said Tuesday.

Jones, just months away from retiring after 30 years with APD, said she took the call from Cartersville and then talked to Cagle’s relative.

“To get that call, it made me stand up,” Jones said.

She didn’t take time to write things down, instead giving her fellow officers at the airport up-to-the-minute details about the suspect over the radio.

“My heart was beating fast,” Jones recalled. “OK, I haven’t heard any gunshots or anything going off so we’re good right now. Let’s just get that information out to prevent that from happening.”

An airport enforcement officer, who monitors the curb areas and walkways, spotted the vehicle and issued a citation at 9:36 a.m. but did not spot the gun. The officer alerted an Atlanta officer, who remained with the vehicle while the search for Cagle continued inside.

Banks said when she spotted the suspect, her extensive police training kicked in. But she admitted Tuesday that she was still scared when she approached Cagle, considering the size difference and the unknowns at play.

She was able to determine Cagle was unarmed, which allowed her to approach more comfortably and place him in handcuffs.

“I went into straight police mode,” she said.

Cagle was booked into the Clayton County Jail. He has been charged with making terrorist threats, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Cagle has a felony conviction and served from August until November 2000 for drug possession out of Bartow, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

The FBI is also investigating the airport incident. Late Tuesday, the agency announced additional federal charges, including attempted violence at an international airport, interstate communications containing threats to injure the person of another, and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

“As alleged in this complaint, Cagle senselessly threatened to do heinous violence to innocent travelers at the world’s busiest airport, with a high-powered weapon that he had no legal right to possess,” U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg said in a statement. “Thanks to the vigilance of other citizens and the quick action of law enforcement, a horrible tragedy was averted.”

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