A small plane flies around Tupelo, Miss., on Saturday. Police say the pilot threatened to crash the plane into a Walmart store.
Rachel McWilliams / AP
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Rachel McWilliams / AP
A small plane flies around Tupelo, Miss., on Saturday. Police say the pilot threatened to crash the plane into a Walmart store.
Rachel McWilliams / AP
Local authorities said the pilot who threatened to crash the small plane into a Walmart store in Tupelo, Miss, landed safely.
“Thankfully the situation has been resolved and no one was injured,” Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves wrote Twitter.
The plane landed in a field northwest of the city. Pilot has been detained by police, Associated Press reportquoted a Benton County sheriff official.
Police officials said they first learned of the threat around 5 a.m. local time after the pilot had alerted emergency responders of his or her intentions. The plane, which police said may have been a King Air, was flying over the northeast region of Mississippi at the time.
“The pilot contacted E911 and threatened to intentionally crash into the Wal Mart on the West Main,” police said.
Residents are asked to avoid the area around local Walmart and Dodges convenience stores until the situation is resolved.
A Walmart spokesperson told NPR that the store was evacuated and closed.
Local authorities did not share any details about the identity of the pilot or the pilot’s motives, but they said they spoke to the pilot directly.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
