A pilot who police said threatened to crash a small plane into a Walmart in Tupelo, Mississippi, was still being airlifted Saturday morning.
A government source familiar with the situation tells CNN the aircraft is flying over the Holly Springs National Forest. Tupelo police are no longer in contact with the pilot, the source says.
“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 earlier Saturday morning. “With the mobility of an airplane of this 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 are working closely with local investigators and referring questions to law enforcement,” he added.
The Federal Aviation Administration “is aware and coordinating with local law enforcement,” the agency said in an email to CNN Saturday morning.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
