A pilot of a small plane who threatened to crash into a Walmart store in Mississippi has landed without any injuries and was taken into custody, Governor Tate Reeves has said. The “situation has been resolved” and no one was injured,” Governor Reeves announced on Twitter.
“The plane over North MS is down. Thankful the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured. Thank you most of all to local, state, and federal law enforcement who managed this situation with extreme professionalism,” Mr Reeves said in a tweet.
The identity of the pilot of the plane, which had circled erratically over the city of Tupelo in the southern US state and a nearby area for about five hours, was not released nor was any information on a possible motive for his actions.
Earlier, the pilot called a 911 emergency operator in Tupelo, “threatening to intentionally crash into Walmart on West Main”, according to a statement from the city’s police department. The sprawling department store and a neighboring gas station were evacuated, and people were warned to stay away.
About 8:30 am local time, the plane was north of Tupelo, “dangerous situation said police officer. Authorities believe the aircraft – Beechcraft King Air C90A was stolen.