A pilot faces criminal charges after threatening to 'intentionally crash' into Mississippi Walmart.
The pilot, who has been identified by police as Cory Wayne Patterson, landed the plane safely in a field in Tippah County, Mississippi, just outside Benton. He faces charges of grand larceny and making terroristic threats.
The plane, a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 was stolen from the Tupelo Regional Airport around 5:30 a.m by Cory Wayne Patterson.
Patterson, 29, called 911 from the aircraft to say that he was going to crash into Walmart, Tupelo police Chief John Quaka said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.
Followin the threat, residents were advised by the police department to evacuate the Walmart and the nearby area.
A Walmart spokesperson said the store was closed and had been fully evacuated.
The pilot circled around for hours before police negotiators made contact with Patterson and convinced him to return to the airport in Tupelo. Quaka said Patterson has "some flight instruction" but is not believed to be a licensed pilot.
"The pilot did not have experience to land the aircraft," the police chief said. "A private pilot assisted us in helping this pilot complete this, however, it was not completed. Upon final approach, the pilot aborted the landing and traveled in a northwest direction away from Tupelo toward Union, Tippah and Benton County.
At around 9:30 a.m. Patterson posted a message on Facebook "and in essence, it said goodbye," according to Quaka. Police believe that Patterson may have been running low on fuel, he said.
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