Headlines
Possible Stolen Plane Remains in Sky After Threatening to Crash into Tupelo Walmart
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UPDATE: 10:13 the plane is no longer being updated on the online tracker.
UPDATE: At 9:30 a.m. the plane is reported to be circling between Ripley and Falkner at about 200 mph in an erratic path.
UPDATE: At 8:35 am the plane is reported to be airborne north of Tupelo in the Benton, Union County Area. Local, State and Federal Authorities are continuing to monitor this dangerous situation.
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The Tupelo Police Department issued the following statement Saturday morning about a pilot threatening to crash a plane in Tupelo:
On 09-03-2022 at approximately 05:00 am TPD was notified that a pilot of an airplane (possibly King Air type) was flying over Tupelo.
The pilot has made contact with E911 and is threatening to intentionally crash into Wal-Mart on West Main.
TPD has worked with Wal-Mart West and Dodges on West Main to evacuate the stores and disperse people as much as practical. TPD also has been able to begin talking with the pilot directly.
At this time the situation is ongoing with TPD and all Emergency Services in our area are on alert.
Citizens are asked to avoid that area until an all-clear is given. With the mobility of an airplane of that type the danger zone is much larger than even Tupelo.
“State law enforcement and emergency managers are closely tracking this dangerous situation,” Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter. “All citizens should be on alert and aware of updates from the Tupelo Police Department.”
This is a developing story.
Staff report compiled by Alyssa Schnugg