UPDATE: There are reports that the 29-year-old pilot has crash landed in a field in Benton County, Mississippi. The sheriff’s department confirms the man has been taken into custody.
Just In: Multiple sources have confirmed the plane is down in a field in Ashland. The pilot, Cory Patterson, is alive. The status of the plane is unknown. Benton County Sheriff department has confirmed they have the pilot in custody. pic.twitter.com/EoYCRhTj1g
— Tuấn (@tuanstpatricktv) September 3, 2022
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DEVELOPING STORY: The pilot of a vintage World War II-era plane is threatening to divebomb the aircraft into a Tupelo, Mississippi Walmart.
“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.Police say the plane may have been stolen and it’s been circling Tupelo for more than two hours.
The Daily Journal has confirmed the pilot of the plane is an employee of Tupelo Regional Airport.
The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed to ABC News that they are aware of the situation and are coordinating with local law enforcement.Evacuations across the city are under way.
