The Tupelo Police Department said in a Facebook post that Walmart and a nearby convenience store had been evacuated. The plane began circling over Tupelo, Mississippi, at about 5 a.m. It was still in the air more than four hours later, but had flown away from Tupelo and circled over another community nearby. CBS affiliate WCBI-TV released video of the plane flying over the area. We follow an evolving story. A pilot threatens to crash his plane into the West Main Wal Mart in Tupelo…. Posted by WCBI News on Saturday, September 3, 2022 Police said they made direct contact with the pilot. “Citizens are asked to avoid this area until it is completely clear,” police wrote. “With the mobility of an airplane of this type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.” Authorities believe the plane — a Beechcraft King Air C90A — was stolen and are working to determine whether the pilot threatening to crash the plane is a local airport employee, two people briefed on the matter told The Associated Press. Multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, are now involved in the investigation and working to discern a motive, the people said. Investigators continued to track the flight path and were in communication with the pilot, the people said. A spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said the agency is aware of the flight and is coordinating with local law enforcement. Law enforcement officials told the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal shortly after 8 a.m. that the plane had left the airspace around Tupelo and was flying near a Toyota manufacturing plant in nearby Blue Springs. An online flight tracking service showed the plane meandering through the sky and following a circular path. “State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely monitoring this dangerous situation,” Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted. “All citizens should be alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.” State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely monitoring this dangerous situation. All citizens should be alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department. https://t.co/hQ8GxcR8s0 — Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 3, 2022 Leslie Criss, a magazine editor who lives in Tupelo, woke up early and tracked the situation on television and social media. Several of her friends were outside watching the plane circle overhead. “I’ve never seen anything like this in this city,” Criss told The Associated Press. “It’s a scary way to wake up on a Saturday morning.” Former state Rep. Steve Holland, who is a funeral director in Tupelo, said he has received calls from families concerned about the plane. “Someone called and said, ‘Oh my God, do we have to cancel mother’s funeral?’ Holland said. “I just told them, ‘No, life will go on.’
