A 49-year-old man was arrested Monday inside Hartfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport after his family alerted police that he was having "mental challenges" and had threatened to "shoot it up."
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum said law enforcement in Cartersville, Georgia — where the suspect is a resident — had alerted his team about a potential threat at the airport just before 10 a.m.
The family of Billy Joe Cagle told Cartersville police that he was streaming on social media and was heading to the airport to "shoot it up." They also told police he was in possession of an assault rifle, which police later found inside his vehicle.
About 11 minutes before Cartersville Police were able to notify Atlanta Police, Cagle arrived at the airport and was entering the south terminal, Schierbaum said.
RELATED STORY | 'Hunting stand' with direct view of Air Force One sparks federal probe in Florida
Cagle was taken into custody near a Transportation Security Administration checkpoint within 14 minutes of Atlanta police being notified, Schierbaum said. He was not armed at the time.
Police searched his Chevrolet flatbed truck that was left parked outside of the airport and said they located an AR-15 assault rifle with 27 rounds of ammunition inside of it.
There was also a dog in the vehicle police said, which has since been returned to the care of Cagle's family. The dog was not harmed.
"We did have a tragedy averted today," said Schierbaum during a press conference about the incident. "I do believe that Mr. Cagle was headed back to his truck to retrieve it, and I do believe he was likely to use that weapon inside the crowded terminal he had just seen."
Cagle has been charged with terroristic threats, criminal attempt to commit aggravated assault, possession of firearm during the commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a felon.
The individual is a convicted felon, according to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, and it is unclear how he obtained the weapon at this point in the investigation.
