Pilot Threatens To Crash Into Mississippi Walmart

CNN reports:

A pilot in Tupelo, Mississippi, is threatening to intentionally crash a small plane into a Walmart, police said Saturday morning.

“At this time the situation is ongoing with TPD and all Emergency Services in our area on alert,” Tupelo Police said in a news release Saturday morning. “With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.”

The Tupelo Walmart store is “currently closed and evacuated,” Charles Crowson, director of the Walmart Press Office, tells CNN. “We’re working closely with local investigators and are referring questions to law enforcement,” he added.

The Associated Press reports:

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) said state law enforcement and emergency managers are also closely tracking the situation. “All citizens should be on alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department,” Reeves said in a statement.

A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson said in an email that officials were aware of the situation and coordinating with law enforcement. Police said the plane may be a King Air, a two-propeller plane that typically has room for seven to 12 passengers and is 35 to 40 feet long.

BREAKING: A pilot flying a small plane over Tupelo, MS threatened to intentionally crash into a local Walmart on Saturday. This is a developing story. https://t.co/VaGjDFwHBl pic.twitter.com/Q3yOM5Av6p

— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 3, 2022

Officials in Mississippi warned residents to be on alert after a pilot threatened to intentionally crash into a Walmart in Tupelo on Saturday morning and continued to fly above and around the city. https://t.co/MQhIAfUJ9k

— The New York Times (@nytimes) September 3, 2022