A dangerous plot was thwarted…
Authorities quickly worked together to arrest a man who allegedly threatened to shoot up the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Monday.
The suspect’s family alerted police that the suspect had been streaming on social media on Monday morning and that he was headed to the airport to “shoot it up” and was in possession of a semi-automatic assault rifle, according to Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum.
The Atlanta Police Department identified the suspect as Billy Cagle, 49, of Cartersville, Georgia and he was promptly taken into custody at the airport, police said. Officers located an AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition in his pickup truck parked outside the airport, Schierbaum said.
Officials revealed the suspect is a convicted felon who also has mental health challenges. Cagle has been charged with terroristic threats and criminal attempt to commit aggravated assaults, among other counts, the police chief said.
Sparacio said their department is “familiar” with Cagle and he has a criminal history, including a prior drug possession arrest, though he did not go into further detail.
“Because of the community — in this case, the family — as well as the joint collaboration of law enforcement, a tragedy was indeed averted,” Schierbaum said at a press briefing Monday.
The police chief said Cagle arrived at the airport at 9:29 a.m. and, upon entering the south terminal, went to the TSA check-in area and was “scanning that area.” Schierbaum said he believes Cagle was walking back to his truck with the intent to retrieve the weapon when officers encountered him at 9:54 a.m. and he was taken into custody unarmed.
“I do believe he was likely to use that weapon inside the crowded terminal,” Schierbaum said.
A possible motive remains under investigation, Schierbaum said.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said he is grateful a potential tragedy was averted at the world’s busiest airport.
“We’re thankful to God and to good information and good intel and good people for this crisis being averted,” he said during the briefing.
Oh good grief, There Is No Such Thing As An “AR15 assault rifle” period. By military definition an “assault rifle” has to be capable of select fire and AR15s are semi auto only.
josh sugarmann’s plot to conflate ordinary semi auto firearms with military weapons has succeeded far beyond his wildest dreams. The FACT that a police chief apparently doesn’t know the difference amply demonstrates that. No wonder too many folks buy their propaganda.