Pilot threatens to crash stolen aircraft into Walmart store in US's Mississippi
Premium- A pilot has been hovering over Tupelo, Mississippi with a stolen aircraft, threatening to crash it into the Walmart store, police have said
A pilot has been hovering over Tupelo, Mississippi with a stolen aircraft threatening to “intentionally" crash the airplane. Police have said that he has threatened to crash it into a Walmart store in Mississippi. Walmart and other stores in the area have been evacuated. The police have also said that they have been able to begin talking with the pilot directly.
“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given," the police said. According to a report, the pilot is an employee of Tupelo Regional Airport, and the plane is 1987 Beech C90A, a nine-seater with two engines.
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“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given. With the mobility of an aeroplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo," the police department said in a statement.
According to a report, the authorities were first alerted at 5 am (local time) about a pilot flying a plane over Tupelo. The plane started circling about 5 am and was still in the air more than three hours later.
The authorities said the pilot had also called 911 and threatened to intentionally crash into Wal-Mart on West Main.
Law enforcement told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shortly after 8 am that the plane had left the airspace around Tupelo and was flying near a Toyota manufacturing plant in nearby Blue Springs.
(With agency inputs)
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