Mississippi authorities say a pilot of a small plane flying erratically over Tupelo, Mississippi, for hours has threatened to crash it into a Walmart store.
The threat has forced evacuations and warnings to stay away from the area, the Tupelo Daily Journal reported.
The incident was reported around 5 a.m., and as of now, there are few details. However, police confirmed that the pilot had called 911 and had been in contact with them.
Authorities have evacuated buildings on West Main Street but say the situation could go bad fast.
“Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all clear is given. With the mobility of an airplane of that type, the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo,” the police department said in a statement.
Videos on Twitter show the plane flying in circles over homes and businesses.
Data from FlightAware indicates the aircraft is a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 turboprop owned by a local urologist—although it was reportedly stolen from the Tupelo airport.
“State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely tracking this dangerous situation,” Gov. Tate Reeves said in a statement. “All citizens should be on alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.”
