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Live update: Man in custody after threatening to crash plane into Mississippi Walmart, police say


Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka speaks during a news conference on Saturday, September 3.

Tupelo Sheriff John Quaka allegedly stole a twin-engine plane at the city’s airport early Saturday, took off and threatened to crash into a local Walmart store before landing without unharmed in the field, Tupelo Police Chief John Quaka said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Quaka identified the man flying the plane as Cory Wayne Patterson of Shannon, Mississippi.

“We do not believe he is a licensed pilot. That is still ongoing to uncover this,” the sheriff said.

Patterson works at Tupelo Aviation – the company that provides fuel and other services at Tupelo airport – Quaka said in 10 years working as an aircraft fuel supplier.

He added: “We know that the plane was fully fueled the night before.

Patterson took off from Tupelo Airport shortly after 5 a.m. CT, and shortly thereafter called 911 from the plane to say he was going to crash it into a Walmart store in the city, the sheriff said.

Quaka said that while negotiators were able to convince the pilot not to crash into the shop, he decided not to land during what was supposed to be a last resort approach to returning to Tupelo Regional Airport.

“Negotiators from the Tupelo Police Department contacted the pilot and were able to convince him not to commit the act and land the plane at Tupelo airport. Pilots have no experience in landing planes. A private pilot assisted us in helping this pilot complete this. However, it was not completed. After the final approach, the pilot aborted the landing and moved northwest away from Tupelo,” he said.

Police said Patterson posted a “goodbye” notice on his Facebook page from the plane at 9:32 a.m. CT.

“Sorry everyone. Never really wanted to hurt anyone. I love my parents and my sister, this is not your fault. Goodbye,” Patterson wrote in the post. His account now appears to have been disabled or deleted.

Around the time the message was posted, “we knew he was running low on fuel,” Quaka said.

“At 10:08, the FAA lost radar contact with the aircraft. At 10:12 a.m., our negotiator re-established contact with the pilot. The pilot confirmed he landed in a field and that he was uninjured,” he said.

The plane landed northwest of Ripley Airport in Ripley, Mississippi, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

“This is most likely an opportunistic crime,” Quaka said.

Patterson was in contact with family members at some point during the flight, Quaka said, adding that it was too early in the investigation to determine a motive in the incident.

CNN has contacted Tupelo Aviation.



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