The pilot who threatened to crash into a Mississippi Walmart has landed safely

The pilot who threatened to crash a small plane into a Walmart in Tupelo, Miss., has landed safely, local authorities said Saturday.

“Thankful the situation has been resolved and that no one was injured,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves wrote on Twitter.

The plane landed in a field northwest of the city. The pilot has been taken into police custody, the Associated Press reports, citing a Benton County sheriff’s official.

Police officials said they first learned about the threat around 5 a.m. local time after the pilot had alerted emergency responders of his or her intentions. The aircraft, which police said is possibly a King Air type, was flying over the northeast region of Mississippi at the time.

“The pilot has made contact with E911 and is threatening to intentionally crash into Wal Mart on West Main,” police said.

Residents were asked to avoid the area surrounding the local Walmart and Dodges’ convenience store until the situation is resolved.

A Walmart spokesperson told NPR that the store was evacuated and closed.

Local authorities did not share any details about the identity of the pilot or the pilot’s motive, but they said that they had been speaking with the aviator directly.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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