A Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, was evacuated on Saturday morning after a pilot flying above the store issued a threat to “intentionally crash” into the store, police confirmed.
In a news release shared to their official Facebook page, Tupelo Police Department said they were notified at “approximately 05:00 am” of the pilot flying over Tupelo and the Walmart. They shared that the pilot did threaten “to intentionally crash into Walmart on West Main and confirmed that they worked with the store to “evacuate” and “disperse people as much as practical.”
The police department also said they’ve been “talking with the pilot directly” and that the situation is “ongoing.” They advise residents to avoid the area until an all clear has been issued.
A follow-up to the release added that at “approximately 08:35 am,” the plane was still airborne “north of Tupelo in the Benton, Union County Area” and that authorities were “continuing to monitor this dangerous situation.”
Locals in the area shared video footage of the plane on Twitter, with one person noting that the plane had been “been flying in circles for 45 minutes around Tupelo.”
The pilot is believed to be an airport employee, as per a report in the Tupelo Daily Journal .
“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.”
This is a developing story.
